Burn in My Night
by GateKeeperSyn
Summary: Sequel to Voices in the Night. Saraya, Cayla, Corri, and Randy all return in this fic, which takes place several years after the original. Dean's point of view is also included, as are those of their 4 children entering WWE. Keith is a prankster with his parents' talents. Nicky isn't sure he wants the WWE life. Trixie is full of life and love. Molly Moxley is like a female Dean.
1. Chapter 1

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ _This fic is the sequel to Voices in the Night. I look forward to continuing to follow the journey of these characters and hope you do, too!_

 **CHAPTER ONE: PROLOGUE**

 _ **SARAYA**_

They were trying again. For three years, Saraya and her wife Cayla had tried to have a baby. Saraya didn't want to carry a child, not because she had anything against kids, but because she wasn't comfortable handing over her body for nine to ten months to a demanding little parasite. Cayla was much more interested in that bit than she was. Besides, if Cayla carried the kid, Saraya could keep wrestling. She had recently become the Divas champion again and she wasn't ready to walk away from that yet. Cayla had taken time off again in the hopes that this time, things would work out.

The doctor looked kind but troubled as they entered her office. This was normal. Cayla had conceived twice before. She'd miscarried early the first time. They'd been crushed, but Cayla wasn't ready to go back to wrestling, so she took time to heal and they tried again. Four months later, she'd conceived again. That time, the poor baby had died in her womb when Cayla was five months along. Saraya knew it had broken her wife, but she also knew it only made her more determined than ever to have a baby. She had insisted they try one last time, and it had worked. Several months later, with constant check-ups, Cayla was still pregant... As of the last check-up, anyway.

"Give it to us straight, Doc," Saraya said, ready for the worst.

"It's good news," the doctor promised as she looked at the sonogram. "Cayla is six months along, and so far, the baby looks healthy."

Cayla had been refusing to look at the screen, but now she looked up. She looked like she might cry. Saraya squeezed her hand. "So, everything's alright then?"

"Yes, this little one's got a fighting spirit just like its moms."

"That's my little legacy," Saraya said proudly. "You keep kicking arse in there!" She paused. "I mean bum... Do I need to worry about not cursing in front of the kid? Because I'm bloody terrible at that."

"One of our baby's mothers is British and the other is from New York," Cayla said, finally speaking. "He or she is probably already fluent in colorful language." She smiled and Saraya marveled at how beautiful her wife was.

"Do you want to know the gender?" The doctor asked.

"No," both women said automatically. Gender made it too real. The second baby they'd lost had been a boy. Knowing that almost made it hurt worse than the miscarriage had. That baby had barely even been a concept at ten weeks, and it had still crushed them to lose him or her. The loss of their son, who they'd been debating names for, had been so painful Saraya was afraid she might lose Cayla, too.

Cayla was listening to the sound of the baby's heartbeat intensely. Saraya could tell she was trying to convince herself it was really still there. She squeezed her hand again. Everything would be alright.

 _ **CORRI**_

Corri was ready to get back in the ring, but circumstances wouldn't allow that just yet. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and pointed at her belly. "This is your eviction notice, Kid," she said. "We agreed on forty weeks. It's been forty-one."

A tiny ball of energy rushed toward her giggling devilishly. She scooped the toddler up in her arms, suspecting what would follow. Sure enough, her husband appeared shouting, "Keith Phoenix Orton, get _back_ here!"

Corri saw that Randy was covered in water and soap suds. She tried not to laugh at him. "Trouble?" She asked as a bit of her laughter slipped out.

"When I said it was bath time, I didn't mean for _me_ ," Randy replied, but his anger was already melting away.

"Daddy clean!" Keith declared proudly.

Corri burst out laughing hard. Keith was grinning. Soon, Randy was laughing, too. Corri kissed their son and then kissed his father. That was when she felt moisture on her leg.

" _Finally_ ," she mumbled. Louder, she said, "It seems out little superstar is about to make his debut."

Randy looked nervous as he realized his wife was in labor. Corri wasn't nervous. She was _relieved_. Finally, she'd get her body back, and she'd be able to meet her second baby boy. She could hardly wait.

"I'm calling my sister. Call the Godfathers," she told him as she gathered her bag.

When they got to the hospital, her very pregnant sister and her wife were already there. As per usual, the Godfathers were running late. Keith's Godfather was Cody Runnels/Rhodes, and he was already waiting. Cayla, of course, was his Godmother.

"Cody, you're on Keith Duty," Corri said.

"Come here, Little Man," Cody said, lighting up at the sight of his Godson.

Knowing he was in good hands with Cody, Corri, Randy, Saraya, and Cayla were led to Corri's hospital room. Randy's mother, who had moved to be closer to them, was on her way. The Godfathers, who had deliberately taken gigs closer to her so they could get there on short notice, should be there soon.

As Corri felt another contraction coming, she tried to breathe through it. Natural labor might be more painful, but Corri refused any and all drugs. It was better that way. She was through putting drugs into her system and had been for a few years.

The Godfathers rushed into her room four hours later. "Did we miss it?" Matt Massie asked breathlessly.

"We drove as fast as we could!" His brother Nick followed up.

"No, boys, our Godson's taking his sweet time," Saraya reassured them, clearly taking pride in calling him that.

Corri relaxed at the sight of them. Her Bucks were here. That was all she needed. Apparently, it was all the little one needed as well, because the labor progressed quickly after that. With a final push, Corri delivered her son.

Randy was the first one to hold him. Cayla fussed over the new tiny human as the doctors weighed him, and took him from them, finally passing him to Corri.

"Handsome," Matt said.

"Like his namesakes," Corri said. "Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you, making his Earthly debut, weighing in at-"

"Eight pounds, four ounces," Randy supplied.

"Nicholas Matthew Orton!"

The Bucks looked at her in shock. "You... You're naming him after us?" Nick asked. He looked like he might cry.

"I wouldn't have been alive to have him if you two hadn't saved my life," she reminded them.

Matt immediately Too Sweeted the baby. "Just don't teach him to say 'suck it,'" Randy said with a laugh.

"Unless it's about his pacifier," Corri added. Everyone laughed. In that moment, she was happier than ever.

 _ **RANDY**_

The birth of their second son had gone well. Randy started a video chat with his daughter from his first marriage, Alanna. She squealed with delight at the sight of her new baby brother. "When can I meet him?" She asked.

"As soon as your mommy lets you come visit," Randy promised. The baby was too young to take on an airplane safely. At two years old, it was even risky to take Keith on one.

"We'll come visit in two weeks," Samantha, his ex, said in the background. Sam had spent a lot of time keeping Randy away from Alanna, but his daughter was very pushy when it came to being allowed to see Keith, and apparently Sam felt bad telling her no. He'd seen her a lot more since Keith was born, and Alanna appeared to be equally determined to see her newest sibling.

"Thanks," Randy told Sam as Alanna cheered the news.

"It's time to go, sweetie," Sam told Alanna. She saw the little boy in Randy's arms and added, "He's beautiful, Randy. Congratulations." There was no real warmth to her words. If anything, she sounded a little bit sad.

Randy appreciated the effort. That was a lot for Sam. "Thank you," he said. "Bye, Baby. I love you so much!"

"Love you, too, Daddy!" Alanna replied. "See you soon!"

He hated letting go of his son, but he knew the baby needed rest. He was still amazed he and Corri had made Keith, and now here was a second little miracle. Randy was determined to be an amazing father, although he was secretly afraid he couldn't be. His own father had been a monster, incapable of love, who loved torturing his son. Randy loved Alanna, Corri, and their boys more than anything, so he was already one up on his father.

Randy returned to the waiting room. Keith had painted his face with finger paint and he ran to his father now. "Look, Daddy, I... _Stawdust!_ " He proclaimed with glee, complete with hand gestures and a dramatic pause.

"Really, Cody?" Randy asked with a laugh.

"What can I say? He's my Godson," Cody replied.

Randy's mother was grinning. She pulled Randy into a hug. "I'm so proud of you and Corri," she told him. "He's beautiful."

"Is I pwetty, too?" Keith asked.

"Of _course_ you are, my handsome grandson!" She kissed him and paint got on her face. She didn't appear to mind.

Randy relaxed as he watched her with his son. Sure, his father had been horrible, but his mom was a much better example of what a parent should be. If he followed her lead, he knew he could be the parent his kids deserved.

 _ **CAYLA (TWO MONTHS LATER)**_

Panic began to fill Cayla as she realized her water had broken. "No," she insisted. "It's too soon. I'm not due yet!"

"I know, luv, but our little one seems eager to meet us," Saraya said. She was keeping a calm exterior, but Cayla knew she was just as worried as she was. She was only eight months pregnant. What would happen? They'd already lost so much. They couldn't lose this baby, too.

They rushed to the hospital. Corri and Randy met them there. Everything was a blur. Corri held her hand. "You can do this, Cay. Everything is goint to be fine," she promised.

It was determined fairly early that the baby was in extreme distress. As Cayla struggled to deliver the baby, she could hear the doctors barking out orders with urgency. She lost track of time. When they finally told her to push, she did. The people gathered in the room were quiet. Saraya stiffened.

 _The baby isn't crying,_ Cayla realized. The doctors were about to tell her something she couldn't handle hearing.

She was numb. Saraya was crying. More alarmingly, so was Corri. "She was beautiful," Saraya whispered.

Cayla decided she would _not_ accept that. "Let me see her," she begged.

Saraya put the baby in her arms. Cayla looked down at her face. "My beautiful baby," she whispered. "Wake up, baby... Please..." She was crying.

Suddenly, the baby she was holding shuddered. Her mouth opened in a tiny yawn and then she opened her eyes. She looked at Cayla and started crying.

"That bloody little trixter!" Saraya shouted.

The doctors immediately examined the baby. "She's alright," one said. "Small and a bit underdeveloped of course, but alive."

That was when Cayla felt her own pain. She was still bleeding. As Corri frantically pointed this out to the doctors, Cayla blacked out.

 _ **(-Later-)**_

She awoke confused. Saraya was holding her hand. Corri was wrapped in Randy's arms. "The baby?" Cayla asked.

"Cay! Bloody hell, you scared us," Saraya said. "You nearly bled to death."

That hardly seemed to matter in that moment. "Is... Is the baby alright?"

"She's okay," Corri said quickly. She hugged her sister. "Do not _ever_ scare me like that again, Cay!"

"How bad is she?"

"She's abnormally healthy for a premie," Saraya said. "She's small but stubborn and tough, just like her mums."

"She's going to be fine, Cayla. They're going to keep her here for a bit to make sure she gets stronger, but they're optimistic," Randy told her.

"She's... she's okay?" Cayla finally let herself register.

"Yeah, Cay. You did good," Corri told her.

"What's her name, luv?" Saraya asked.

"I told you that you should name her, since I carried her," Cayla replied.

"Right. Well, I was going to name her Jade, because that's a family name, but now that I've met the bloody little trickster and she fooled us all into thinking we'd lost her, I think I have a more fitting name... Trixie."

Cayla smiled. "I love it. Jade can be her middle name."

"Trixie Jade, that's adorable," Corri said.

Cayla's exhaustion must have been showing, because Saraya suddenly said, "Rest, luv. We'll all be here when you wake up." She kissed her forehead and Cayla fell asleep.

 _ **DEAN (THREE YEARS LATER)**_

Corri was playing with her sons and her niece backstage when Dean joined her. "Great match, Corr," he told her. "You kicked ass."

'I always do," Corri said.

"Dean!" Keith screamed out. He ran at him and jumped on him until he wrapped his arms around him and declared, "Dirty Deeds!"

Dean fell to the floor dramatically and let Keith "pin" him. Keith looked at his brother and said, "Count!"

"One, two, thwee!" Nick counted. Dean was pretty sure that was as high as he could currently go.

"Champion!" Trixie declared, raising her cousin's hand in victory.

Amused by the midgets, Dean put his WWE World Heavyweight Championship belt over Keith's shoulder. Keith buckled slightly under the weight, but ultimately stood tall. He was about to walk away when Dean said, "Yeah, nice try, Kid. I stole that title before you were even _born_. Give it back."

Keith giggled and let Dean have his title back. Suddenly, a very annoyed woman appeared backstage. "Hello, Dean," she said sharply.

Dean racked his memory for a name. _Krissy? Kelly? Kitty? Who cares,_ Dean thought. She was familiar, but he didn't think he'd seen her in a few years.

"Hey, um... Kimmy," he greeted her.

"It's _Katie,_ you jerk!" She threw her hands up. "Whatever. I'm here with a delivery." She pointed to a tiny blonde thing who was drinking from a juice box and staring at him with big eyes. "This is your daughter, in every sense of the word, and I can't take it anymore! Take her. I'm done."

Katie stormed away. The tiny one walked up to him and hugged him, proclaiming, "Hi, Daddy!"

"Wait, what just happened?" Dean asked. "What is this thing that's hugging me and why is it so small?"

"Apparently, you have a kid," Corri said. "And she's small because kids are compact-sized."

"I... What?"

"What's your name, sweetheart?" Corri asked.

"Molly," the tiny thing said. "Mommy says this is my daddy."

"How old are you?"

Molly held up four fingers. _Fuck,_ Dean thought. _Fuck, fuck,_ fuck _!_

"Do you think it's true?" Corri asked after sending Molly to play with the other people her size.

"Yeah," Dean said as he watched her playing with a fork and mumbling about how shiny it was. "I think it is."

So, three hours and a DNA test later, Dean Ambrose learned that he had, in fact, fathered a child and that child had just been dumped at his feet. He did the only thing he _could_ do.

"Okay, Offspring," he said. "Let's go get some ice cream." From that moment, Dean decided he would give that little girl a decent parent, because he'd never had any, but every kid deserved at least one.

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ _This story's going to take place when the kids are older, but for the first chapter, I wanted to introduce them. It will have the points of view of all four of the original main characters from_ Voices in the Night _as well as Dean Ambrose, and the four children who were just introduced. I hope you all enjoy it as much as you enjoyed the first fic! Any reviews are appreciated. Thank you all so much for your support!_


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

 _ **TRIXIE**_

Trixie may have been born dead, but she never let that keep her from embracing life. In fact, she credited her first moments out of the womb as her reason for living every moment with passion and embracing all life had to offer.

Today was a special day. She woke up at four in the morning and was too excited to go back to bed. She'd bounced off the walls until her mom got up at seven.

"Happy birthday, baby!" Cayla declared, pulling her into a tight hug. Her mom always hugged her like that, and it always chased away any trouble Trixie was facing.

"Are you coming with me?" Trixie asked excitedly.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world... I can't believe my baby girl is eighteen years old!"

"He'll keep his promise and let me audition today, right?"

"Of course he will."

"And Nicky, too?"

"Nicky's been waiting on you."

Trixie could barely contain herself. Cayla made her eat breakfast before they left for the WWE Performance Center. She'd been there before, of course. Since Cayla had retired when Trixie was ready to start kindergarten, they stayed in Florida during the school year. Her mom had eventually taken over running the Be A Star campaign and had started working with Creative on some of the Divas storylines. She usually stayed in Florida so Trixie was never without one of her parents. Her mum Saraya was busy kicking ass as one of the top female wrestlers in the world. She'd stayed working as Paige for WWE until Trixie was eight, but as WWE continued to repress her look and her character development, she'd grown unhappy. Now she was a huge independent star. She still made appearances for WWE as a Legend, but she was officially retired from the company.

They met her cousin Nicky at the Performance Center. He smiled when he saw them, but he looked nervous. "Are you ready?" Trixie asked him.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Nicky replied. "Happy birthday." He hugged her.

She linked her arm through his. He relaxed slightly and they headed inside. That was when Trixie saw someone unexpected.

"Mum!" She proclaimed. She ran into her mum's arms and hugged her, unable to keep from bouncing.

"Happy birthday, Luv!" Saraya greeted her.

"I thought you were in Baltimore!"

"I told them there was no way I was missing my baby girl's NXT audition."

"Were they pissed?"

"Does it look like I care? Besides, it's not every day my little girl turns eighteen. I haven't missed a single birthday, Trix. Did you think I'd start now?"

Trixie was thrilled. She knew she'd make it now, with both of her parents by her side. Nicky's dad was in Texas with the main roster. His mom, however, was-

"Aunt Corri?" Trixie asked.

"Happy birthday, Trix," Corri said from inside the ring. "Welcome to your trial by fire."

"Wait... _You're_ my audition partner?"

"I'm still a semi-active member of the main roster _and_ I'm the head trainer at NXT. Who did you _think_ you'd be facing today? Now get your ass in here and show the bosses what you've learned."

Corri and her mums had trained her since she could walk. She was completely comfortable facing Corri in the ring, even though she knew her aunt wouldn't hold back on her.

Corri let her warm up before she started drilling her. Trixie showed off her basic skills first before Corri started the actual match. Every flying move, every superkick, every submission she'd ever learned got showcased. Her mom and aunt were both known for having an enormous move set, especially Corri, and they'd taught her all of it over the years. Her mum had taught her a lot, too, including some of the coolest holds Trixie had ever seen.

Too soon, it was over. That was when Paul Levesque stood up and applauded. "Come here, Trixie," he said. He pulled her into a tight hug. "Happy birthday, kiddo. Welcome to WWE!"

Trixie squealed with excitement. "I made it?" She asked.

"You doubted you would?" Paul asked. "You're a Legacy, Trix, but even if you weren't, you're damn good."

She bounced around hugging everyone before she asked, "Nicky's turn?"

"Yep," Paul said. He called out Nicky's partner and Trixie heard her cousin groan.

"Hey, Dork," her cousin Keith greeted his younger brother. "You ready?"

 _ **NICKY**_

Nicky rolled his eyes. _Of course_ they'd brought Keith in. He'd probably insisted on it. Keith had been part of NXT for three months after turning eighteen before they'd decided to debut him on the main roster as Phoenix Orton, fourth generation Legacy and instant Superstar. Keith had been _born_ for this life. He was a natural in the ring, blending the styles of both of his parents. Superkicks and RKOs were part of his daily routine.

It wasn't that Nicky disliked his brother. In fact, they were very close and he knew Keith wouldn't hesitate to take a bullet for him or to beat the shit out of anyone who dared pick on him. It was just that Keith was a lot to live up to sometimes, and Nicky just wanted to be his own person.

Keith flashed a bright smile at their cousin and winked. "Happy Punk-the-Parents Day, Trickster," he said.

Trixie laughed. "Thanks," she said. She was still bouncing off the walls, but that was normal. Trixie had an endless supply of energy. Nicky didn't know how she did it.

"You're up, Kid," Paul told him.

Nicky nervously stepped into the ring. His brother played up the intimidation for the people watching before leaning in and whispering, "I got you, Nicky. It's just you and me out here, like when we were kids."

Nicky tried to relax. He focused only on Keith, ignoring the people watching. Pretty soon, the routine of wrestling his brother took over and his nerves vanished. It was easy to focus once he forgot everyone was watching him. Keith might be the Superstar, but Nicky was just as good. He was a natural flyer. The Young Bucks had spent most of his childhood personally training him, something Keith couldn't claim. He was good enough to be here. He just needed to remember that.

Keith didn't make it easy for him. He hit an RKO. Nicky flashed on an incident when he was nine and Keith had done the same thing. _"Keith, don't RKO your brother!" Corri had scolded him as Nicky jumped back up and immediately superkicked Keith. They'd both thought they were in trouble until she'd smiled and added, "Wait until he's ten."_ He smiled at the memory.

Nicky kicked out and retaliated with a superkick, just like when they were kids. He followed it up with an RKO of his own. Keith took the fall.

Paul looked impressed. "That was great!" He declared. "Welcome to the main roster."

Nicky blinked. "Wait, what? I thought this was for NXT," he objected.

"Are you kidding me? This was a formality, Nick. We kept Keith down here for a bit but he didn't need it. Why should we waste time? You're a fourth generation Legacy! Your name's been on the main roster since your conception."

Nicky was upset. "I'm in school, Paul. I'm not ready to commit to this full time."

"You can submit your work online. I talked to your professors. They understand your circumstances."

"You-" Nicky fell silent. He knew better than to object, even though Paul had massively overstepped by going to his professors. His life had been decided for him for years. His parents had raised Keith and him on the road, hiring a tutor to travel with them. Dean's daughter Molly had been raised the same way. Only Trixie had a slightly normal childhood. He was jealous. Keith and Molly were both born for this life, but he wasn't sure that he had been.

"Trixie's main roster, too, of course. I wouldn't leave her kind of talent behind," Paul added.

Trixie squeaked. "Really?" She asked. "Ohmygod-ohmygod-ohmygod!"

Seeing Trixie so excited made him feel better. Maybe this wouldn't be all bad.

Suddenly, everything stopped as a girl with hot pink hair walked in popping bubblegum and wearing ripped jeans and a torn t-shirt that read, _Warning: Explicit Mox Violence_.

"Molly!" Trixie squealed, throwing her arms around her. Nicky and Keith immediately joined in the hugfest. Nicky felt better with Molly there. Their group wasn't complete unless she was around.

 _ **MOLLY**_

"Oops... Am I late?" Molly asked.

"When _aren't_ you?" Keith teased.

She popped her gum at him in response. "Ah, Molly. So nice of you to grace us with your presence," Paul said.

"We're going to the main roster!" Trixie blurted out.

"We as in you and Nicky? Congrats," Molly said with a genuine smile. She turned to Paul. "So, Dickface, when do _I_ get released from this kiddie prison and sent to play with the grownups?"

If anyone else had dared call him something so disrespectful, Paul would have fired them, but he was used to Molly. She insulted him because she cared. If she called him Paul, _then_ he should be worried. Besides, Molly was frustrated. As the daughter of one of WWE's top superstars, she'd had an immediate invitation to NXT, but she'd chosen to pay her dues on the indies instead. Her dad had trained her himself and from the age of sixteen, he'd had her doing indy shows wherever WWE was traveling at the time. Once she turned eighteen, she'd officially joined the WSU roster so she could be involved with CZW, her dad's old stomping ground. She loved everything about CZW and WSU and had enjoyed her time there, but eventually she missed her dad and friends and had accepted Paul's offer to come home.

Molly hadn't made it easy for him. She'd refused to cave on her terms, which were not the sell-out terms most indy stars settled for upon joining WWE. She got to keep her ring name, Molly Moxley, because Paul knew it was important to her to pay tribute to her dad. He'd tried to get her to use Molly Ambrose, but she reminded him that alliteration sells better and Molly Moxley would sell more merchandise. She also still owned the rights to her character and as long as she was on NXT, she was still allowed to work indy shows. Since Paul had hesitated to put her on the main roster, Molly wrestled indy shows more than NXT ones.

Most of the NXT kids hated Molly. She said what she thought and had no filter. She was wild, flirty, and frequently inappropriate. She played by her own rules and didn't care if you liked it or not. Molly took no one's crap and was tougher than most of the guys on the roster, let alone the girls. In short, she was a female clone of her father, and people weren't sure how to handle her.

"Well, Molly, if you'd been on time, I'd have announced that I'm moving you up, too," Paul told her.

Trixie hugged her and started bouncing. Molly didn't mind. Trixie was her only female friend and she loved her like a sister. She was used to her hyper spirit.

"About time," Molly said in a bored tone, but she was secretly excited. She hadn't come back to sit on the sidelines. She wanted to be on the main roster with Keith and her dad and the roster she'd grown up with. This was good news.

"We'll be calling a few others up today," Paul said. He looked at Corri. "You've got the names, Corri."

Corri smiled. "Listen up, Bitches. I'd like to congratulate the following people on their move to main roster status." She paused for dramatic effect. Finally, after what seemed like hours, she said, "Brandon, Ginny, Luke, and Gabe! Welcome to the big leagues!"

Molly rolled her eyes. "Invasion of the Legacies," she mumbled to Trixie.

Gabriel Fatu, the extremely hot son of Trinity and Johnny, or Naomi and Jimmy Uso, bounced almost as much as Trixie and planted a kiss on Ginny's lips. Ginny Runnels, daughter of Cody and Brandi, punched his arm in an angry protest. He shook it off with his inherited grin and laughter. Ginny's younger sister Faye was laughing hard. Ginny was a bitch and no one was sure where she got it from because her parents were awesome. Faye was easier to tolerate, but Molly kept her distance from her.

Lucas Rotunda smiled big enough to rival the signature grins of his father Taylor and mother Tenille, better known as Bo Dallas and Emma. It was hard to dislike Luke because he was a complete sweetheart, but Molly intimidated him, so she kept her distance from him, too.

With the others accounted for, Molly waited for the obligatory cry of "Yes!" Brandon Danielson was the son of Bryan and Brie, and although she hardly knew him, she suspected that had been his first word. Brandon was quiet, however.

"It's sweet how shy he is," Trixie said softly. Maybe Trixie was right and Molly was being hard on him. Brandon was so quiet that she forgot he was there half the time. She noticed the way Trixie was looking at him.

"You want to have his babies," Molly teased her.

Trixie blushed. "I do _not_! I barely even know him. We're hardly even friends."

Molly grinned as a devious idea popped into her head. She dragged Trixie toward Brandon and said, "Congrats, Goat Junior. Have you met Trixie?"

Trixie shot Molly a Look that suggested she wanted to stick a sharp object in her eye before she said, "Hey, Brandon!" She sounded like a schoolgirl with a crush, or at least that's what Molly imagined one sounded like. It was kind of adorable.

"Happy birthday," Molly whispered with a laugh. Trixie glared at her.

Even more adorable was the fact that Brandon nervously ran his hand through his slightly untamed chin-length brown hair and replied, "Oh, um... Hey, Trixie! How are you?"

Molly supposed Brandon was cute. He was too quiet for her, but he looked more like his mother than his father and he didn't have any facial hair. Outgrowing the epic beard of his father didn't seen to be one of Brandon's goals in life.

Watching the two dorks make eyes at each other, Molly decided her work was done. She walked over to Nicky and Keith and slung an arm around each of their shoulders. "Looks like we're together again, my bitches," she told them.

"As it should be," Keith said.

"Just like always," Nicky added.

Molly relaxed. She was back with her family. "I should call the Sire," she said. She dialed her father. "Hello, He Who Hath Sired Me," she greeted him.

"What's up, Offspring?" He asked her.

"I've been called up to the mother ship. I thought you'd like to know."

"It's about fucking time. Did you keep your deal?"

"Fuck yeah! I'll never sell out!"

"That's my spawn." He paused. Then he added, "I'm glad you're home."

"Sappy. Me too." She blew a kiss into her phone before hanging up. Suddenly, all was right with the world, even if she'd apparently only gotten her shot because of some Legacy Takeover angle they appeared to be working. That hardly mattered, as long as she was with her dad again.

 _ **KEITH**_

Life was sweet. His brother and cousin were coming up, and so was Molly. It wasn't the same being a Superstar without them by his side.

Keith watched Molly talk on her phone and remembered he'd promised to call his father. He dialed and his dad answered almost immediately.

"How'd it go?" His dad asked.

"They're in. So's Molly," Keith told him. "And Ginny and a few others."

"Good for Ginny! Cody's going to be happy. I guess Faye will get her shot next."

"Dad, can I ask you something?"

"What's up?"

"Do you think Nicky can handle this?"

"Of course I do. Nicky's ready for the ring."

"He just gets so anxious. I'm worried this will be too much, you know?"

"You're a good big brother, Keith. Nicky will be okay. He has more support than he'll ever need. He has your mom and me and Trixie, and he's got the Bucks if he needs them. Most importantly, he's got you."

Keith was used to taking care of Nicky. He knew his dad was right. "So, Dad, what did I miss today?" He changed the subject.

"Just the usual." Randy paused. "I'm really proud of you guys."

It meant a lot to hear his father say that. Unfortunately, Keith quickly got distracted when he saw Trixie trip over her own two feet and fall toward the ringpost. Keith hung up quickly, ready to run and grab her, but someone beat him to it. He'd been catching Trixie for years. Like her mom, she was amazing in the ring but a spaz outside of it, especially when she was nervous. No one had beaten him to a Trixie Rescue before.

"Are you okay?" Brandon asked, catching her elbow and steadying her as Keith reached her.

Trixie was blushing again. "Yeah... I'm just a klutz," she said.

Brandon looked concerned. Keith was in overprotective big cousin mode. He didn't like some guy being so close to her, especially not the offspring of an evil Bella.

"Come on, Trickster," Keith said, pulling her into a hug. "Let's go celebrate your birthday."

"Happy birthday, Trixie," Brandon said sweetly. Trixie looked at him adoringly and Keith silently cursed. His intervention had somehow made her obvious crush worse.

He practically dragged his cousin back to the safety of Molly and Nicky, grateful for the fact that Trixie started focusing on things other than Brandon Danielson after that. He'd definitely need to stay on top of this until she came to her senses.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

 _ **RANDY**_

Randy could hardly believe the kids were all coming up to the main roster. It had been fun having Keith around, but now his baby boy and niece were coming up, too. On top of it, Molly was coming up, and she was like everyone at WWE's daughter because they'd all had a hand in raising her. The first of the new kids he saw that day, however, was none of them.

Ginny Runnels looked at him and came over immediately. Randy pulled her into a hug. "Welcome to the Big Leagues," he told her.

"Thanks," Ginny said nervously. "Am I the first one here?"

"As usual. Nicky could take a lesson from you."

"It's not his fault. You named him after the Young Bucks, who are _never_ on time from what I've heard. He takes after his Godfathers."

"This is true. You're so smart."

She laughed. "Well, _I_ take after _my_ Godfather, too."

"You poor kid," Randy said with a laugh. "No one should have to take after me."

"Better you that my father."

"Gin, Cody's a _great_ guy to take after. He's probably the best man I know."

"I love my dad, but I don't want to develop a split personality."

"You know Paul wants you to take up the whole 'Dust' tradition, right?"

"And I told him no. I'm here on a storyline involving Keith reforming _Legacy_. If I'm representing my dad, _Cody Rhodes_ was in _Legacy_ , not _Stardust_. He couldn't really argue with that."

"See? Smart." He was impressed. Paul had been determined to have Ginny going by _Dusti_ or _Something-Dust_. Her sister Faye's ring name was _Fairy Dust_. It was nice to see that Ginny had won the right to be herself.

"Ugh! That cab ride was _atrocious_!" A deep female voice snapped.

"They _should_ have sent a limo!" Another voice added. That voice was still heard frequently at WWE events, although the first appeared less often now.

Randy looked up and groaned internally. The Bella Twins stood very close by. From just out of sight, a male voice said, "They don't send limos for the first day of kindergarten." Randy relaxed slightly as Bryan Danielson joined them. If Bryan was around, Brie usually behaved slightly better.

A young man Randy vaguely recognized from _NXT_ walked in with Bryan. "That's Brandon," Ginny told him.

"Am I late?" Trixie asked frantically as she rushed in. She bumped straight into Brandon and nearly knocked him over, but he somehow managed to steady them both.

"Hey," Brandon said.

Trixie squeaked and her cheeks turned bright pink. Randy noticed the way Brandon was smiling at her. _Oh boy,_ he thought. _That might be trouble._

"Hi..." Trixie said lamely.

"Watch where you're walking!" Nikki snapped. "Do you _know_ who he is?"

"I'm sorry... I... um..."

" _This_ is the son of Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella, you little _nobody_. Who the hell do you think you are? I mean, seriously, do you need to wear a helmet for special people?"

Randy stood and swept in before he even realized he was moving. "Back the hell off of my niece, Nikki. _Now_."

Nikki turned and stared at him, but it was Brie who spoke. "Wait, this is Trixie?" She asked.

Trixie nodded. She was shaking. Randy protectively put an arm around her shoulder. "You've gotten so big... I didn't recognize you," Brie said.

"Ugh, Brie, who _cares_ who she is? She just tried to mow down your son," Nikki argued.

"Aunt Nikki, stop," Brandon said. "It was an accident. She apologized."

Nikki rolled her eyes. "Don't let her fool you. She's the daughter of a lunatic and her lesbian lover, your mom's arch nemesis. The little bitch is out to get you."

Rage washed over Randy immediately. "Kids, go hang out with Ginny for a minute," He said. He'd had enough.

"Don't tell him what to-" Nikki started.

"Great idea!" Bryan interrupted before she could continue. "I haven't seen Cody's daughter in _ages_! Come on, guys." He shot Randy a look that said he was grateful he was trying to keep the kids out of things as he led them away.

"Nicole, I swear to God, if you _ever_ talk to Trixie like that again, I'll kill you myself," Randy said furiously.

"I don't want her anywhere near my Brandon!" Nikki replied.

Randy nearly reminded her that Brandon was _Brie's_ son and that Nikki had no children because John Cena refused to reproduce with her, but that seemed excessively cruel. He simply pointed out, "They're in a storyline together. That's _not_ going to happen."

"Well, _recreationally_ , she'd better keep her distance."

Brie was silent, but Randy suspected she agreed with her twin. He hated that they were picking on a kid who was barely eighteen, but it didn't entirely surprise him. "Just leave her alone."

"Or what? You touch me and you're fired."

"It would be worth it, but I don't hit girls, and you very loosely qualify as one, so I won't kick your ass. Now, _Corri,_ on the other hand..."

"Bring it!" Nikki started.

Brie grabbed her arm. "Shut _up,_ Nicole. Just let it drop," she said. "We don't need that kind of trouble."

They were saved by the arrival of Nicky and Keith. Corri was with them. Brie dragged Nikki away before Corri could attack.

His wife eyed him questioningly. "Why were you talking to the bitches?" Corri asked.

"Nikki started with Trixie," Randy explained.

"I will _cut_ that bitch's throat!"

"That's pretty much what I told her would happen if she didn't back off."

Keith hurried off to check on Trixie. Nicky was about to go, too, but Randy stopped him. "You doing okay?" He asked.

"Yeah," Nicky said too quickly. "Of _course_!"

"Nicky, it's okay to be nervous."

"I'm fine, Dad. Really."

"Right. Well, I'm proud of you, okay? You can do this, Nicky. It's in your blood."

"I know." Nicky smiled confidently, but Randy knew his son. He was terrified.

"Just remember to breathe. You're going to do great out there."

"Right. We're all ready for this."

Randy looked around. All of the new kids were there, except... "Where's Molly?" He asked suddenly.

Corri cursed. "I swear to God, that kid makes Nicky look punctual!" She said. "Paul is going to kill her if she's late for her debut."

Randy wondered where she might be. Molly lost track of time easily, but she was generally professional when it came to shows she was booked for. He realized Dean was _also_ missing.

"Well, wherever she is, her dad is probably with her," Randy said.

"Well, _that's_ probably trouble," Corri said with a laugh. Randy was inclined to agree.

 _ **DEAN**_

Nothing got Dean quite as pumped as singing karaoke at the top of his lungs with his no-longer-so-tiny sidekick right there with him. They'd gone to a karaoke bar for lunch to get her ready for her main roster debut. Now, as they each shouted the lyrics to _I Wanna Be Sedated_ , he realized just how much he'd missed her while she was gone.

 _"Bam bam ba-bam ba-bam bam ba-bam, I wanna be sedated!"_ Dean sang. Molly repeated the phrase on her own. Then they finished in unison.

"Crap!" Dean said as he noticed the clock on the wall. "We're late again."

"Crap!" Molly echoed. "Oh, wait, I don't actually care." She laughed. "Relax. I'm good. I don't need the intro speach. I grew up backstage. As long as I have ten minutes to change, stretch, and get briefed on the final plans, I'm good."

"Come on, Offspring. We should still hurry."

She didn't protest as he led her away. He could hardly believe the small person who'd been dropped at his feet was now fully grown and about to debut on _RAW_. Did that make him old? Nah, he didn't feel old. He was still the same crazy guy he'd always been.

They reached the venue and Molly looked at him. "Pep talk, He Who Hath Sired Me?" She asked.

He put on a serious face. "Hmmm..." He said as he considered this. "Beat the crap outta the other guys. Don't hold back. No forks, we're fucking PG here, damnit. Have fun. Be you. And kick ass." He kissed the top of her head. "Now go forth, Offspring, and be awesome!"

He had no doubt that she'd do just that.

 _ **KEITH**_

It was time. Keith stood with his new stable and smiled. "Ready, my little Legacies?" He asked.

"Fuck yeah!" Molly replied. Everyone else shared their enthusiasm, too.

Keith nodded. As his entrance music began, he marched alone to the ring. He'd adopted _Burn in My Light,_ his father's old entrance music before _Voices_ , and made it his own. The crowd loved Keith. They'd immediately embraced the son of Randy Orton and Corri Casey.

When he made it to the ring, he grabbed a microphone. He was interrupting John Cena, Chris Jericho, the Miz, and Ryback who were gathered in the ring, all part-time wrestlers now, fighting over who was the ultimate champion or whatever.

"Yeah, guys?" Keith interrupted. "I'm sorry, but the old age home is around the corner."

Jericho and Cena laughed and gave each other the "can you believe this kid?" look. Ryback got in his face. Keith hit an RKO as soon as he was close enough. The crowd went crazy. The Miz stepped back and put his hands up in defeat.

"Son, I don't know who you think you are-" Cena started.

"Oh, that's _easy_! I'm Phoenix Orton, fourth generation Legacy, and since you seem to be getting forgetful in your old age, _you're_ John Cena, the washed-up has-been who _never_ gives up, but _should_." Keith let his words sink in.

 _Let's go Cena_ chants broke out, but they were pretty much drowned out by _Cena sucks_ ones. Even louder was an RKO chant.

 _Should I?_ He wondered. It wasn't scripted, but Cena could still take a bump and the crowd was demanding it...

Cena nodded very slightly. Keith grinned and stayed in character. "I'm sorry," Keith said. "That was rude of me." He extended his hand for a handshake. "I know you have done a lot. You and my dad had an epic rivalry, man! I really _should_ shake your hand." Cena shrugged and reached for him. That was when Keith went for the RKO.

The crowd went crazy. Jericho looked at Keith, nodded, and said into his microphone, "Not bad, Kid."

Just for the hell of it, Keith hit an RKO on him, too. Jericho was very laid-back and went with the flow, so Keith knew he'd be fine with it. The crowd was chanting for him now. The Miz looked terrified.

"We're cool, man," Keith said. "I'm a big fan."

The Miz smiled. That was when Keith added, "Of your _stunt double_!" Then he RKO'd him. That _had_ actually been planned.

With all of the older men lying on the mat, Keith said, "It's time for change, people! Like my father before me, I recognize the power of hot young legacies coming together, but I'm thinking _bigger_. It's time for _us_ to take over! With that said, I'd like to introduce the _new_ Legacy!"

They marched out one at a time to his music, because he was the leader of this faction. "Introducing... Brandon Bryan, son of Brie Bella and Daniel Bryan!" He paused between each name. Brandon got a huge pop. "Persephone!" That was Ginny. The _NXT_ fans applauded wildly. "Daughter of Cody Rhodes, a member of the _original_ Legacy! Dale Dallas, son of Bo Dallas and Emma! Trickster, the daughter of Cayla Casey and Paige!" He'd talked his cousin into using that as her ring name. "Greg Uso, son of Jimmy and Naomi! Next, my little brother Nick Orton!" He'd tried to get Nicky to go by Bucky Orton, an idea Keith found hilarious, but Nicky had insisted he wanted to be himself and Paul still hated the Young Bucks so he wouldn't allow it anyway. "And finally... Molly Moxley, the daughter of Dean Ambrose!"

Molly got the biggest pop of all. The Ambrose fans were thrilled to see the next generation of lunatic fringe enter the ring. The _NXT_ fans had seen what she could do. Most of all, the people who knew her from the indies worshipped her. They chanted for her. Molly owned that ring as she entered it.

Several superstars and Divas suddenly ran out from backstage. None were related to the legacies. They attacked the legacies. The legacies took turns demonstrating their moves on the more seasoned wrestlers. Everyone stuck to their own gender, but when John Cena went after Keith, Molly got involved and hit him with a perfectly executed Dirty Deeds. The crowd's response was amazing. They'd definitely put themselves over.

The legacies joined hands and surrounded the fallen superstars. " _We_ are _Legacy!_ " Keith announced. "And we _own_ this place!"


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

 _ **TRIXIE**_

After the debut of the new Legacy, the main roster had a party. It was more than Trixie had ever dreamed of. Paul clearly knew how to celebrate. Everyone was having a great time. Lucas stood at the center of the room dancing. Trixie was impressed with his skill, and she wasn't alone. Soon, everyone was watching him.

"Whoever said white boys have no rhythm never met that kid," a familiar voice said.

Trixie spun around. Thaddeus "Titus O'Neil" Bullard stood behind her. She squealed with delight. "Uncle Thaddy!" She cried as she hugged him.

"Did you think I'd miss this?" Thaddeus asked her. He embraced her. Thaddeus had always had a soft spot for Trixie. He watched over her like a guard dog. (Occasionally complete with his kayfabe trademark barking.)

"Is Uncle Fred here?" Trixie asked in excitement. Fred Rosser, better known as Darren Young, was one of her mom's best friends. He had been present for pretty much every single major event in Trixie's life, including every lame birthday party and even a couple of her school plays. She adored him.

"Of _course_ he is. You had to ask?" Thaddeus laughed. He pointed to Fred, who was standing next to Cayla and Saraya. They had, of course, come to the show to support their daughter. Trixie smiled and turned her attention back to Lucas.

Gabe was dancing with Lucas now, and he'd dragged Ginny out with him. Ginny tried to pull back, but Lucas extended his hand to her and bowed. She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling as she took his hand and started dancing with him. Gabe seemed perfectly happy to leave it at that and grabbed Molly instead.

"You can't handle me, Uso," Molly told him with a slightly evil grin.

"Challenge accepted!" Gabe said.

Keith pulled Molly into his arms and stole her away from Gabe. "Sorry, Baby Boy, but this dance is mine," he shrugged and danced by himself. Trixie watched her cousin dancing wildly with Molly and smiled. That was when she noticed Nicky standing to the side, also watching and looking like a sad little wallflower.

"Excuse me," she said to Thaddeus. She walked over to Nicky. "You okay?"

"Huh?" Nicky was startled. "Oh, um... Yeah, I'm good."

"What's wrong?"

"Parties just aren't really my thing."

"Come on, Nicky, relax." She took his arms and began swinging them, dancing spastically and not caring because it made her cousin laugh. "That's better!"

"Thanks, Trix."

"You need some air. Come on, let's go outside."

Once outside, she realized they weren't alone. Standing a few feet away was a boy smoking a cigarette. "Well, well, well," he said dramatically. "If it isn't the golden children."

Trixie recognized him. He wrestled under Ray Turner, a low-carder with a serious reputation for being out of control and even violent outside of the kayfabe world. He was tall and muscular, with long black hair and blue eyes. He was probably very handsome, but there was something harsh about his features that made him more terrifying than attractive to her.

"Ray Turner, right?" Trixie asked, trying to smile encouragingly at him. Even the angriest of people melted at Trixie's smile. He did not.

"Danny, actually. Danny Huber, but no one talks about that in public. I'm a legacy, too, but _I_ don't need to ride that in for _my_ shot. I got in on _talent_."

"Huber... Who are your parents?" The name was familiar, but she couldn't remember why.

"He's Luke Harper's kid," Nicky said quickly. "With Summer Rae."

"Whoa... That's an unexpected pairing."

"Yeah, well, liquor makes my mother do questionable things," Danny said sharply. "Either way, I have _two_ superstar parents, unlike _you_. You're not even a _real_ legacy, Trixie. Stupid name, by the way."

"I was raised by two superstar parents, just like you," Trixie said.

"Please. You aren't _really_ Paige's kid. Your father was a _turkey baster_."

Trixie felt like she'd been slapped. Who was he to be so cruel to her?

"At least a turkey baster gets _cleaned_ once in a while, unlike _your_ father!" Nicky said. It was uncharacteristic of Nicky to say something like that, but he always looked out for his cousin. Danny had pushed the wrong button.

"What did you say?" Danny demanded. He punched Nicky hard in the face. Nicky hit him right back.

Trixie screamed. "Stop it!" She shouted. "Leave him alone!"

"Hey, back off!" Brandon said as he appeared. He tried to pull Danny off of Nicky, but Danny tossed him off of them and kept hitting Nicky.

Nicky recovered and tried to fight back again, but Danny was brutal. "Get help!" Trixie begged Brandon. " _Please_!"

Brandon hesitated for a second before nodding and running back inside. "You stupid kids think you're all _so_ great, being born into this shit!" Danny shouted. "Some of us have to _work_ for it because we choose not to be our parents."

"No one _wants_ Harper's kid, let's be real. And Summer Rae? She became nothing but a valet. Nothing to brag about. So back. The. Fuck. Off. Of. My. Cousin!" Nicky was hitting him harder now. Keith was usually the one who lost control because of anger. Trixie was freaking out. Sweet, quiet, calm Nicky had lost his mind.

"What the fuck?" Keith demanded. He came running out with Molly right next to him. He ripped Danny off of his brother and took over kicking his ass.

Trixie was trembling. Molly knelt beside Nicky and pulled him into her arms. "Are you okay?" She asked him. He nodded. "Liar. You're bleeding." Molly ripped part of her t-shirt off like it was nothing and used that to apply pressure to the cut on Nicky's forehead.

"Oh God..." Trixie whispered. She started crying at the sight of her cousin bleeding.

"Trix, he'll be fine," Molly said quickly.

"This is my fault. He was defending me," Trixie said.

"What the _hell_ is going on here?" Randy demanded as he and several others appeared. Randy pulled Danny and Keith apart. Trixie noticed Danny didn't dare try to hit her uncle. He stared at Keith. "What were you _thinking_?"

" _Me?_ Dad, he was beating on Nicky!" Keith protested.

"So you break it up and get _help_ , Keith. You don't take over the beating. You're an _adult_."

"Oooh, Daddy's _pissed_ ," Danny said.

Randy turned to him. Trixie half-expected him to RKO the kid, but he resisted the urge. Instead, he said, "You'd do best to keep your mouth shut, Danny. I can have you arrested for this."

"It's not my fault. Blame the daughter of the turkey baster," Danny said.

Now Nicky, Keith, and Randy all looked like they might RKO the kid, but instead, a shrill voice said, "Daniel Martin Huber! You apologize _this instant_!"

Danny cringed. "Sorry, Mom..."

Danielle Moinet glared at him. The years had not neen kind to Summer Rae. She was still beautiful, but she was exhausted. She looked at Trixie apologetically. "Excuse him." She smacked the back of his head. "He forgets his manners. Oh, Trixie! Look how big you got!" Danielle hugged her like they were best friends.

"Um..." Trixie began. "Hi?"

"I know you haven't seen me in a few years sweetie, but don't you remember me? Well, never mind! _Apologize,_ Danny!"

"Whatever," Danny said. "It's true. It's not like two chicks can make a kid. She's not a _real_ legacy."

"Daniel! Trixie is a very nice girl and you _will_ tell her you're sorry. Now." She looked like she might strangle her son.

"It's okay, Danielle," Trixie said. "It only counts if he _means_ it, but I appreciate your concern. Excuse me." Trixie walked away, unwilling to let anyone see the tears in her eyes.

 _ **NICKY**_

His first impulse was to run after Trixie, but Molly grabbed his arm and forced him to sit back down. "No way, Nicky," she said. "You cracked your head open. You're not going _anywhere_."

"I'm fine. Trix needs me," Nicky argued.

"Trixie needs space. Let her have it. She'll be fine."

"Where _is_ that little shit?" His mother's voice demanded.

Nicky groaned. This wouldn't end well. "Mom, I'm okay," he said quickly.

His mother ignored his claim and grabbed Danny. "If you ever, and I do mean _ever_ touch my sons again, it will be the _last_ thing you ever do," she said too calmly. That meant she was very serious.

"Right. I'm not scared of you, you stupid bitch," Danny said.

Nicky saw everyone tense. His brother and father both looked like they might attack Danny. Danielle looked mortified. His mother, however, laughed. "Well, you probably _should_ be, kid. Remember who trained your pathetic ass. Your father won't claim you, your mother wanted to keep you out of the business, and I busted _my_ ass to teach you the basics when you were still green. Hell, I'm the one who encouraged you to stick it out when all you wanted to do was quit. You need to remember where you started, Danny. And stay away from my family. Oh, and the next time you want to talk shit about my niece? Remember that _she_ has two parents who love her."

He was silent. Danielle reached for him. "Come on, let's go, baby," she said.

Danny shrugged her off and stormed away. Danielle looked like she might cry. "I'm sorry," she said again. She hurried after him.

Nicky felt sorry for her. He'd seen the way the stress had slowly eaten away at Danielle over the years. She tried to be there for her son, but he reacted with rage and lashed out at her. He was a skilled wrestler, but Paul kept him on the low card because he was a loose cannon. Nicky suspected he was frustrated because he was trying to earn the affection of a man who hated him, his father. After getting pregnant, Danielle had dragged John Huber to court, forcing him to pay child support. He hadn't fought her on it, but he made Danny's life hell any chance he got. It was no wonder the kid was such an asshole.

Nicky tried to stand again. This time, Molly helped him. "I need to go find my cousin," he said.

"Stop, Nicky. She's fine... And you're drunk," Molly said quietly, so no one else would hear her.

He stared at her. "No I'm not," he said quickly. Okay, so maybe he'd had a drink when John Cena had offered him a congratulatory round, and another when Jericho did the same, but it hadn't been that much. Besides, he was part of the roster now, and it would make him look pathetic if he refused a drink meant to celebrate his new status.

 _Nick and Matt would kill me,_ he thought. He'd never had a drink of alcohol before in his life, but this was different. Besides, it had calmed his nerves a bit.

"Nicky, I _saw_ you drinking," Molly said. "And you suck at lying. Also, you're swaying."

"Blood loss."

"Slurred speech."

"Concussion?"

"You pulled a Keith on Danny."

"I... um... Adrenaline?"

"Nice try. You're drunk."

"I didn't drink much..."

"You're a lightweight because it's your first time. Relax, Nicky. I'll take care of you."

"Mom's going to be mad at me..."

"No one has to find out. Everyone screws up sometimes. Come on. I'll take care of you until you sober up."

"Molly... I'm an idiot."

"No, you're just new to this scene. You'll get used to the life and stop making bad choices eventually. Come on." She took his hand and led him away.

 _ **SARAYA**_

"Where is my bloody daughter?" Saraya demanded when she and Cayla realized she hadn't come back with everyone else.

"That little prick Danny was picking on her," Corri explained. "She ran off."

"How do you pick on a kid as sweet as Trixie?"

"He was going on about her dad being a turkey baster."

"I'll kill 'im! No one hurts my girl!"

"How upset was she?" Cayla asked.

"She made an excuse and got out of there pretty quickly. I'm sure she'll be okay," Corri said.

Saraya let anger show on the surface, but inside, she was very upset. Trixie may have been carried by her wife, but she was one hundred percent Saraya's daughter, too. How could anyone claim anything else? She loved Trixie more than she loved herself. She was her miracle baby, her little trickster, and not a day went by when she wasn't grateful she was her little girl.

"It's that bitch Danielle's fault," she said. "She raised the little prat."

"Danielle tried her best," Cayla said quickly. "He's a difficult kid."

"Right, I forgot you are inexplicably friends with her."

"She's not as bad as she wants people to think."

"If you say so, Luv... But her son is still a bloody bastard."

"We should go find Trixie and make sure she's okay."

"Agreed! Operation Locate and Hug the Baby commences!" Saraya led the way as they searched for their daughter.

 _ **TRIXIE**_

Trixie had climbed into a stairwell in the building the party was at. She'd proceeded to slip on the steps. She'd finally given up and now she sat on the steps, pulling her knees to her chest, and she cried. The bullying hadn't been so bad really, but her cousin had gotten hurt trying to defend her. It wasn't like Nicky to do something that impulsive and reckless. She hoped he was okay.

Suddenly, a hand reached toward her gently. Trixie looked up and saw Brandon standing over her. "Are you okay?" He asked.

 _Just humiliated you're seeing me like this,_ she thought. "Yeah," she replied aloud. "I'll be fine."

"Danny's a jerk. He had no right to say those things to you."

"It's fine. I'm okay."

"Trixie..." He shook his head and handed her a tissue. She blew her nose. He gently wiped away a stray tear with his thumb.

Chills ran through her. She managed to get out, "Thanks."

"No problem. Us turkey baster babies have to stick together."

"Wait, what?" She looked at him. "Your parents are Brie and Bryan."

"Right, but it's complicated. My mom couldn't carry a kid. She had eggs, but because she was pretty much anorexic and because of all the bumps she's taken, she couldn't carry to term. My parents wanted a baby really badly, so they decided to go with a surrogate. Since Aunt Nikki wanted kids but Uncle John didn't, she figured she could at least give my parents a baby. _She_ carried me."

"Really?" She searched his face for any hint that he might be making fun of her, but saw only his own vulnerability. He smiled shyly and it made her heart melt.

"Yeah, Trixie. You're not the only turkey baster baby here."

She smiled, suddenly feeling much better. "We should start a club!"

"Sure! We can have meetings and everything."

"We can make t-shirts!"

"I'm on it!"

"You should be the president. You're a better talker."

He laughed. Trixie kind of loved his laugh. "Only if you're the one on the posters. You're prettier than I am."

Trixie blushed. Had he just called her _pretty_? She suddenly understood the term butterflies in the stomach, because she had a whole bunch in hers right now.

He extended his hand to her again. This time, she took it. She let him give her a quick hug and suddenly, she felt a thousand times better. She'd never been one to let bullies get her down, and she refused to start now.

"Ready to go back?" Brandon asked.

She nodded. Together, they headed back toward the party. Trixie smiled to herself, no longer feeling as alone in the world.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

 _ **MOLLY**_

Nicky had fallen asleep pretty quickly after she put him in her bed. She'd crawled in next to him and had woken up with him holding her. That felt sort of nice.

Nicky stirred, then groaned. "Morning, Sunshine!" Molly greeted him.

"Oh God... My head feels like it's going to explode," Nicky mumbled.

"Welcome to your first hangover." She sat up and walked to the Keurig machine the hotel provided. Molly didn't stay at any hotel that didn't offer satisfactory caffeine. She made him a cup of the original blend. "How do you take your coffee?"

"I don't..."

"It'll help. Coffee and a ton of water. You like sweet stuff, so I'll give you a lot of sugar and a decent amount of milk, like I take it." She fixed his coffee and handed it to him before making herself a cup.

Nicky gulped it down. "This is actually pretty good... Thanks."

"No problem."

After a few minutes, she could tell he was feeling better. She made him drink two bottles of water. He seemed much better after that.

"You were sweet to take care of me," Nicky said. "I appreciate it."

Molly shrugged. "No big deal."

Nicky went to kiss her cheek. Molly felt a bit mischievous and turned so his lips landed on hers. She hadn't expected to like it, however. Nicky's lips were soft and he kissed shyly. She liked that. It was sweet. She wasn't used to sweet kisses. Most of the guys she kissed rushed through it, hungry, and eager to do way more than just kiss. Nicky waan't like that. Instead, he seemed almost curious.

Molly intensified the kiss, making it clear she was okay with him doing the same. She slipped her tongue into his mouth and he responded with a gasp against her mouth before he did the same. Soon, she wanted more. Molly _always_ wanted more. She was a bit of a nympho maniac at times, yet another trait she knew she got from her father. She suddenly couldn't think about anything but what it would be like to fuck Nicky. He'd been in her life forever. They were insanely close. It might be different than it was with the random one night stands she was prone to. She _really_ wanted to find out.

She slipped her hands under his shirt, pulling it off of him and running her hands over his chest. Nicky moaned and that got her going even more. She took off the t-shirt she'd slept in, happy that she had nothing but panties on underneath. She didn't wear them often, but it had seemed wrong to crawl into bed with Nicky without them. Now, she wanted them gone.

She started to rub Nicky through his boxers. That was when he pulled back. "Molly..." He practically moaned her name.

"Yeah, Nicky?" She asked.

"I... Um... It's just..." He looked embarassed. "I want to do this, but I... I've never... I mean..."

And suddenly, it clicked. "Nicky, are you still a _virgin_?"

He couldn't look at her as he nodded. "Well, everyone starts off that way, right?" She shrugged. "Are you sure, though? It's okay if you aren't ready. I'll understand."

He looked at her then. "I'm sure."

She smiled. "Then don't worry about it. I'm a good teacher." She proceeded to remove her panties and pull down his boxers before getting on her knees in front of him. She paid close attention to his needs before he couldn't stand being blown anymore, and only then did she slide him inside of her.

When it was over, Nicky collapsed beside her, sweaty and exhausted. _For a virgin, he's pretty damn good,_ she thought. _Natural talent counts for a lot._ She ran her fingers through his hair, watching him as he slept. When his phone rang, she grabbed it before it could wake him.

"Where the hell _are_ you, Nicky?" Keith demanded without waiting for her to speak. "Dad is gonna _kill_ me if he realizes you didn't come back to the hotel last night!"

"Chill, Keith," Molly said. "Nicky's with me. He's fine."

"Molly?" Keith hesitated. "What happened?"

"I brought him back to my room and forced him to be my teddybear." She hated lying to Keith, but she'd promised Nicky no one would find out he'd been drinking.

"Well, send him back to me, okay? We're supposed to meet our parents in a half hour."

"Expect Nicky Standard Time. He's asleep. I'll wake him up in a minute. Later." She hung up. Then she walked over to Nicky and kissed his forehead.

He woke up and smiled at her. "Did that really happen?" He asked.

Molly laughed. "Yeah. Now get up and shower. You're supposed to meet up with the parentals and your brother."

"Crap!" Reality seemed to come back to him. "I've got to hurry."

"Which is why I won't be showering with you," Molly teased. Nicky blushed and stuttered his way to the bathroom.

 _You're evil,_ she told herself. What had she been _thinking_? Nicky was gorgeous and she loved him like family, but she was a casual sex kind of girl and he was a virgin who probably expected this to mean more than it did.

When Nicky came out, she kissed him and sent him on his way. Then she jumped in the shower and got dressed. She walked down the hall and knocked on a door. The frizzy-haired person who answered smiled when he saw her.

"Hey, Molly!" Colby Lopez, a.k.a. Seth Rollins, said. He hugged her.

"Is that Molly? Come here and give me a hug, Baby Girl," Joe Anoa'i, or Roman Reigns, called.

Molly walked into the room and hugged him. She spotted her father still lying on his bed, trying to ignore the world. His hair was even messier than usual. Molly knelt down on the floor beside his bed and said, "I humbly request an audience with He Who Hath Sired Me. In return, I will provide food, most likely of the burger variety. Please tell me if this is satisfactory."

Her father began petting her head, still not opening his eyes. "I will also provide copious amounts of caffeine," Molly added.

He mumbled something that sounded like, _"Fuckingtimeisitfuckokayfinecoffee_ " before pulling her up onto the bed with him. He buried his face in her hair and took several deep breaths before saying, "Audience granted, Offspring." He looked at Colby and Joe. "Go."

"See you later, Baby Girl," Joe said.

"Later, Molly," Colby added. They left. Molly allowed her father to snuggle her for another minute before he got up and zombie-walked to the bathroom. A short time later, he came back out, still exhausted but looking more alert.

 _ **DEAN**_

They found a spot for lunch quickly enough. As promised, Molly ordered him a double cheeseburger with tomato and bacon, fries, and soda. She ordered herself an identical meal. Dean waited until the food arrived to push for answers.

"So what's wrong?" He asked her.

"I did something bad, oh wise and loving Sire."

"What did you do?"

She stared at her burger as she replied, "Nicky..."

Dean choked on his soda. Recovering, he asked, "Nicky _Orton_?"

"Um... Yeah, sort of..."

"I didn't expect that." He'd never seen Nicky so much as _flirt_ with anyone, and now he'd slept with his daughter?

"Neither did I."

"So what's the part that was bad?"

"He was sort of a virgin... Am I awful? Is this sending me to Hell?"

Dean looked deep into her eyes. "As long as Nicky wanted to do this, there's nothing evil or bad about it."

"But I'm not a relationship person, and I think he is..."

"So be honest with him, and as long as you do, it'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." He squeezed her hand. "You, my Offspring, are a good person. If you weren't, you wouldn't care."

She nodded. "Thank you for your wisdom."

"Thank you for this burger." He took another bite and was relieved to see Molly relax. _Is it weird that my kid slept with the kid of someone_ I _slept with?_ He wondered. He and Corri had messed around before she'd tried monogamy for Randy. _I guess it's genetic. My genes are attracted to her genes or something._

He decided to let the thought go as he watched his daughter eat her burger and fidget with her fork. Sometimes, looking at Molly amazed him. She looked so much like him, only somehow she was beautiful. Dean didn't find himself particularly good looking, although his fangirls seemed to disagree, but his features worked well on Molly. They were softer, but still tough and wild. She sat like him, ate like him, and laughed like him. They had developed their own special language over the years, speaking of sires and offsprings and aliens and general weirdness. He always understood her, and she always understood him. Her mother may have abandoned her, but it was the best thing that had ever happened to him. This no-longer-so-tiny human completed him when he hadn't even known he was missing something.

"I love you, Offspring," he informed her.

"Sappy. Ditto," she replied.

They ate in a comfortable silence after that. Even though Molly had planned to pay, Dean paid for their food. He was pretty sure dads were supposed to pay for shit, even if his own had never been around much.

"Sire?" Molly asked as they were leaving.

"Yeah?" He replied.

"Do you think Nicky's going to hate me now?"

"I seriously doubt that."

"I do this all the time and it's no big deal, but it's _Nicky_. He's fragile. What if I break his heart?"

"You won't. And he's not as fragile as you think. He's Corri's."

"He's sensitive."

"So don't be a bitch about it. Just be you, Molly. He loves who you are. This won't change that."

"Keith will kill me if I hurt his brother."

"See, if you were going to go for one of them, I always thought it would be Keith."

"Wait, what? You've thought about this?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, you guys grew up together. Those boys both followed you around from day one. It occurred to me that you might end up with one of them at some point, but Keith always made more sense."

"Why?" She seemed genuinely curious.

"It's just the way you two are together. He gets you. He never expects you to be anyone but exactly who you are, and when you get upset, if you don't come to me, you go straight to him. Every time."

"You've been paying more attention than I thought."

"You'd be surprised."

She nodded. "Okay, angst session over. I'm good."

"You sure? We could get ice cream or something."

Her face lit up. Then she pouted and dramatically wailed, "Oh, beloved Sire, my life is so full of Suck! There is only one cure for my broken soul!"

"Chunky Monkey?"

"With chocolate sprinkles."

"This is a three-scoop-waffle-cone day, isn't it?"

"Undoubtedly."

"Come, Offspring! I shall cure your broken soul with sugar, as it is and always has been our way."

It made Dean feel better that, no matter how old she got, taking Molly out for ice cream always made her feel better.

 _ **SARAYA**_

When Saraya got back to her hotel room, she dialed her mum. She was so frustrated by the comments Danny had made the day before. She _needed_ her mum. She always made everything better.

As Saraya recounted the news to her mum, she listened patiently. Then she said, "I _do_ hope my lovely grandbaby punched that prat right in his bloody mouth!"

"Her cousins did, actually, from what I understand," Saraya said.

"Good boys. How _dare_ he imply that's not my baby granddaughter? I love that child more than I can ever say. He can sod off, the bloody git! That girl is my heart, and if he ever sees her in a fight, he'll never doubt she's part of _our_ family!"

"Exactly."

"Saraya... Luv, when can you all come visit?"

Saraya was surprised by the abrupt change of subject. "In London? I don't know, Mum. Cayla's got a lot of work to do, and I've got gigs, and now Trixie's got shows to do, too."

"I miss you. Try to make time, luv. Please? For me? Indulge an old grandmum?"

"Oh shut it, you're not some old grandmummy! You're as young as ever."

"You're too kind to me."

"I love you, Mum. I'll try to work something out, but it's going to be a bit I'm afraid."

"That's alright, Luv. I understand. Just don't be a stranger."

Saraya laughed. "I call you every other day."

"Better not stop, or I'll come hunt you down!"

Cayla peaked her head in. Saraya smiled at her. "I've got to go, Mum. I'll call you soon. I love you!"

"Love you, too, Saraya. And if anyone else picks on my grandbaby, you tell 'em Sweet Saraya's coming for them and the sweet part's a lie."

Saraya laughed. "Bye, Mum. Give Dad my love!"

"I will."

Saraya hung up. "So, what's on our agenda today?" She asked.

"Actually, I'm free for the next few hours." Cayla wrapped her arms around her. Saraya loved the way that made her feel, even after all these years. Between Cayla and her mum, she felt a million times better.

"Are you propositioning me, Cay?"

Cayla grinned and kissed her in response. Saraya let everything else slip her mind as she lost herself in Cayla's arms.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

 _ **CORRI**_

It had been entirely too long of a day. Corri was just hoping for a nap when she spotted Danny working out hard by himself in the hotel gym. He was throwing punches so hard, she thought he might break the punching bag. She heard the sound of a harsh, taunting voice coming from somewhere in the gym.

"Is that the best you can do? Pathetic! No _wonder_ they won't give you a title shot or even a quality match. You're _weak,_ Daniel. I don't know why I waste my time with you," the voice said.

"Because you knocked up my mother," Danny spat back, hitting the punching bag harder. Corri could see how neutral he kept his face and his voice was filled with hatred, but there was a hint of something in his eyes...

Harper, as he was most commonly referred to, came into her line of sight then. He punched Danny's face pretty hard and said, "Your mother is nothing but a little _slut_ , Daniel! Don't lie to yourself about that. I made a bad choice because I was drunk and she used it to trap me into paying child support for eighteen damn years but don't think for one _second_ that I owe you anything more than that! I gave you _life_! You don't even deserve that much!"

"And you _never_ let me forget it!" He punched the bag again.

"Don't talk back to me!" Harper punched his son in the gut. Danny doubled over and clutched his side. Harper started to kick him, rapidly and repeatedly.

Corri had seen enough. She threw the gym door open and went straight for Harper, knocking him off of his son with one swift kick to his head.

Harper stumbled back. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" He demanded.

"Back the fuck off before I call the cops on your stupid ass!" Corri told him.

"For what? Child abuse? He's _twenty-one_ , bitch! It's not abuse, so stay the fuck out of it!"

"You're right, it's not abuse. It's _assault_. Get the hell out of here before I kick your ass myself!"

Harper glared at her before leaving. Corri knelt beside Danny. He was curled up on the ground and clutching his stomach. He was also coughing up a little bit of blood.

"Jesus, Danny," she whispered. She helped him sit up slowly. "Are you okay?"

"Why do you care?" Danny asked. He coughed some more, then added, "I had it handled."

"Right. You were just coughing up blood to catch him off guard when you finally attacked."

"I'm _fine_."

"You need to go to the hospital, Kid."

"I'm not a fucking _kid_ , and no, I don't."

He was acting like a little shit as usual, but Corri could see the fear in his eyes. He was shaking. She decided she couldn't turn her back on him, not after what she had just seen. She had a thing about the broken ones... She felt compelled to help them. "Look, Danny, being your father doesn't give him the right to hurt you."

"It's not a big deal. I'm an adult. I can take care of myself."

"You weren't _always_ an adult, Danny. I know that look in your eyes. That's the look of a haunted little boy who survived hell."

"What would _you_ know about hell?"

"I have a condo there." She flashed him a sarcastic smirk. "You don't have to put up with this, Danny. Paul would never stand for it."

"Don't tell him!" He sounded slightly frantic, but recovered quickly. "I don't want pity or special treatment. I'm fine, Corri. Please just let this go."

"Not until you let me get you checked by a doctor or a trainer at the very least."

"Fine. A doctor. At a clinic. No one from WWE and no hospitals."

She nodded. "I'll take what I can get." She led him downstairs and into her car before driving around in search of a place that accepted walk-ins. It took her about twenty minutes. They sat in silence in the waiting room before Danny finally spoke.

"Why are you being nice to me? I was picking on your niece and beating on your son last night," he said.

"And today, you got your ass kicked by a man who is supposed to love you but who did nothing but knock you down, emotionally _and_ physically. I understand having a shitty father, and I think today made me understand you a little better. So you get a pass this time. Piss me off again and I might change my mind," she said.

He nodded. They didn't speak again until the doctor called them in. Danny was roughed up, but it wasn't as serious as Corri had feared. The doctor gave him something for the pain and Corri drove him back to the hotel. She looked at her watch. A nap was now out the window. She had to get ready for _Smackdown_. She was walking her sons out to the ring that night.

As Corri turned to leave, Danny grabbed her arm. "Thanks," he said quietly. Then he let her go and walked away.

 _If this was several years ago, I'd have taken him back to my room to "comfort" him,_ Corri thought with amusement. Danny was actually a good-looking guy, and she was so drawn to the bad boys who were really just trying to cover up their wounds. She hoped he'd find someone to take care of him. Danielle loved her son immensely, but that would never be enough to heal the damage his father had done. He reminded Corri a bit of Randy, only Danny was a much bigger asshole about things. Her husband had once been that wounded. His eyes had hidden horrors she couldn't even imagine. He'd shut the world out, too, often with anger just like Danny. The difference was that Randy had a support system of people who pulled him back from the edge. Corri could tell Danny didn't have that. All he had was Danielle, and one person could only do so much.

 _I'm going to help that kid,_ she decided. _Whatever it takes._

 _ **MOLLY**_

It was an awesome night. Molly was set to tag with Trixie and Ginny against three loser Divas who totally couldn't take them. It was Trixie's first official match ever, and Molly was excited to be part of it. They walked out to _Hell's Bells_ by AC/DC because that had been Molly's music for a while. The pop they received as soon as her music started really got Molly pumped. The arena was bathed in red strobelights as they slowly walked toward the ring.

It was a pretty quick match. Molly started it out. She hit Ditz Number One with Dirty Deeds almost immediately, but her cheerleader friends jumped in to break up the pin. Molly tagged Trixie in.

"You've got this, Trix," she whispered in her ear. She could tell Trixie was nervous.

Trixie went for the newly tagged in Ditz Number Two and hit her with a superkick. The girl kicked out of her pin attempt, so Trixie tagged Ginny in.

Molly had seen Ginny work before, but she often forgot how talented she actually was. Ginny grappled with Ditz Number Three for a bit before hitting a DDT. She immediately followed this up with a splash that got an insane amount of height. The ditz was down, but her friends came in and pulled Ginny off of her by her hair.

Molly and Ginny had collectively decided to let Trixie have her moment since it was her debut match. Trixie did not disappoint. When Ginny tagged her back in, Trixie went for the first ditz. The others tried to attack, so Ginny and Molly went after them and kept them distracted.

Trixie surprised everyone by climbing up on the ropes and executing the most beautiful hurricanrana Molly had ever seen. This time, as the crowd went insane, Trixie got the pin.

Molly and Ginny raised Trixie's hands in victory before they bounced backstage to the perky entrance music they WWE had given Trixie. When they got there, Trixie flung her arms around them. "Oh my God, that was _amazing_!" She shouted.

"You did great, Trix," Molly said. "I knew you would!"

"Not bad, Trixie," Ginny said. Even she was smiling.

Trixie grabbed her cell phone as soon as they hit the locker room. She smiled and looked like she might cry as she read a text.

"You okay?" Molly asked.

"My grandmum was watching a live feed," Trixie said.

Molly read the text over her shoulder.

 _That's my girl! Kick bum, take names, and remember how proud I am that you're my grandbaby! I love you more than words, little trickster!_

Molly smiled. "Your grandmother rocks," she said. "She's the coolest."

"She definitely is," Trixie agreed.

Molly checked her own phone. Colby had sent her a photo. She opened it and saw all three Shield members smiling like goofy idiots and giving the camera thumbs up. She laughed. She might not have any grandparents she knew, but the family she _did_ have was beyond awesome.

 _Tell the Sire I humbly request a dinner date with my three favorite bitches,_ Molly texted Colby.

He replied quickly. _We're in. Love you!_

She smiled. It amused her that Colby never questioned being called her bitch. The night was getting better by the minute. Dinner with the Shield was always a good time. Molly headed toward the shower feeling completely relaxed.

 _ **NICKY**_

"Oh God... I'm going to puke," Nicky said. His debut match was tonight and it was a _singles_ match. Keith would be in his corner, and so would his mother, but that didn't stop the terror he felt.

"You _do_ look a little green," Dave Bautista said. He was a special guest for the night. "You're Orton's boy, right?"

"Yeah," Nicky said nervously.

Dave shook his hand. "Dave Bautista. I used to tag with your dad."

"I know. You guys were in Evolution together."

"Yep, when we were almost as green as you are." Dave laughed. "Those were good times. Listen, Kid, everyone gets nervous. It's natural, but if you're anything like your dad, you can handle it."

 _But_ am _I like my dad?_ Nicky wondered. Keith was like Randy Orton 2.0, but Nicky had never quite lived up to that.

"Here," Dave said, handing him a couple of pills. "For nerves."

Nicky hesitated. "These aren't... I mean... They're not steroids, are they?" He asked in a whisper.

Dave looked stunned, but then he started laughing. He had a really hearty laugh. "Jesus, Kid, what exactly did your dad tell you about me? No, they aren't steroids. They're an herbal supplement to help relax you. It's perfectly legal." He shook his head. "Orton must have painted me as some kind of addict."

"It's not that," Nicky said quickly. He was so embarrassed! Herbs were harmless enough, right? He took the pills to give himself a minute to recover. "My dad had a steroid issue, so he always warned me and my brother not to touch them."

Dave smiled. "Look at Orton, becoming a responsible parent! I'm proud of him. He's right, Kid. Steroids cause a lot of trouble, and if you get caught, you'll get fired. Well, maybe not _you_. Triple H has a soft spot for your dad. He got more than a few chances before he finally got his act together. Hunter's very supportive of him. Always has been."

"Hunter? You mean Paul?"

"Yeah, sorry. We all used kayfabe names back then. _Paul_ gave your dad a lot of second chances other people wouldn't have gotten... I shouldn't complain, because he got _me_ a lot of my best opportunities in the company, too, but yeah, Orton's his favorite protégé and always has been."

Nicky was starting to get uncomfortable. Dave had seemed friendly, and his father had never said anything particularly bad about him except that he had a serious steroid issue, but now it seemed Dave had a lot of annomosity toward his dad. Maybe it was because while Dave had grown weaker and unable to put on a good match after years of abusing his body, Randy continued to do well. Both had film careers, but Randy was still actively wrestling and Dave was generally considered a has-been. He made an occasional Legend appearance, but he wasn't medically cleared to wrestle anymore so all he did was talk.

"It was nice meeting you, Young Orton. Maybe we can talk some more later," Dave said. "Good luck tonight."

"Thank you," Nicky said. He should have been nervous about Dave's behavior, but he wasm't. In fact, he was completely calm, and his energy was getting better. Whatever that herb was, it had done the trick.

 _You're reading too much into it,_ he told himself. _Dave was just trying to be friendly. He's your dad's friend. Everything's fine._

Keith and his mother appeared backstage together. "Ready?" Keith asked him.

"Completely," Nicky said. In that moment, it was true.

"I'm so proud of you," his mother told him. She kissed his forehead.

His entrance music started and the three walked out together. Nicky was having a trial by fire. He was wrestling Jericho. It was an insanely amazing opportunity, and he had to wonder why it was _his_. Brandon and Gabe had both wrestled at NXT for a while, while Nicky was brand new. He didn't deserve this match, not yet. Jericho was known for putting new guys on the map. It wasn't his time yet.

 _It's because you're Randy Orton's son,_ he realized. He hadn't earned this, but Paul had given it to him anyway. It wasn't a test; it was a reward for being born into the right bloodline. Nicky wasn't sure he was okay with that.

As the match began, he stopped thinking about it. He fought hard. He hit Jericho with moves no one knew he had yet. His skill set largely resembled that of the Young Bucks. He used superkicks and splashes, hurricanranas, dives, whatever involved speed and flying off the ropes.

Jeticho didn't make it easy for him. He pulled Nicky into the Walks of Jericho. He'd planned the match out with Nicky earlier in the day, and because it was Nicky's first-ever real match, he was very thorough. He'd even given Nicky a signal to use if it was too much and he needed to lay off a bit. As pain started to shoot through Nicky's body, he nodded slightly twice.

Jericho was paying close attention. He immediately loosened his hold. Nicky crawled to the ropes and Jericho let him go. Nicky recovered and hit him with an RKO out of absolutely nowhere. The fans began cheering louder as Nicky pinned Jericho for the three count.

His mother and Keith jumped into the ring and raised his hands. Everything was perfect. As they led him backstage, he was met by his father, who pulled him into a hug.

"I'm so proud of you, Nicky!" He said.

"I _knew_ you could do it, bro!" Keith added.

His mother was beaming at him. "That was amazing," she said. " _No one_ has a debut like that!"

"You didn't fuck up once," Keith told him. "And Jericho is no joke."

Trixie ran toward him and flung her arms around him. "We did it!" She screamed. "It's official now! We're on the map!"

He laughed, hugging her back. "Your match was great, Trix," he said.

"Thanks! I was really nervous, but Molly and Ginny made it easier. You were _alone_ , though! Was it terrifying?"

"A little, but I had Mom and Keith, and Jericho is great to work with."

"Come on, guys," his mother said. "You deserve food after that. Let's go get dinner. Cay and Saraya are already waiting."

Nicky was _starving_. He'd never been so hungry in his life. "Yes!" He proclaimed. "Food is _exactly_ what we need to make this night even better."

They headed out to find dinner. Nicky couldn't even remember why he'd been so worried before.

 _ **SARAYA**_

The bloody phone rang at an ungodly hour the following morning. Saraya rolled over and looked at it, then groaned and answered it with, "Dad, you know better than to call me at seven in the bloody morning!" Cayla had already gotten in the shower to head to the gym, but Saraya was enjoying sleeping in.

"Saraya..." Her father paused. "Luv, we need to talk."

"About what?" Saraya asked nervously. She'd never heard her father sound so shaky before. She was instantly awake.

"Something's happened...Your mum, she was really tired earlier, so she laid down to take a nap..."

"Dad... What's going on?" Was her mum sick?

"I went up to wake her, and... I couldn't."

"What? Dad, what are you _saying_?"

"She's gone, Luv. Passed on in her sleep."

"No! You're wrong! I just talked to her, Dad. She's _fine!_ This is one of her jokes, right?"

"No, Luv... I wish it was..."

His words made no bloody sense. How could her mum be gone? She was perfectly fine. "She's been ill, Saraya. Heart troubles. She didn't want to worry you."

It clicked then. Her mum had seemed so desperate for her and Cayla and Trixie to come visit, but Saraya had blown her off... In the last conversation they'd had, she'd bloody _blown her off_! And now, she would never have the chance to go see her mum again...

Her chest felt tight. She couldn't breathe. She was shaking. "I... I've got to go, Dad." She hung up before he could protest. Then she threw her phone with all of her strength at the hotel door. The screen shattered, just like her universe.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

 _ **CAYLA**_

When Cayla got out of the shower, a sense of dread seized her. Something was wrong. She dried herself off quickly and pulled on her bathrobe before opening the bathroom door. She spotted Saraya sitting in the farthest corner, with her knees to her chest and her arms wrapped around them.

"Saraya? What is it? What happened?" She asked in alarm.

Saraya didn't answer her. She stared at the door to the hotel room instead, seemingly unaware that Cayla was there at all. Cayla followed her gaze and saw her cell phone. She picked it up and saw the damage her wife had done.

"Honey, who called you?" Cayla asked.

Saraya still didn't respond. Cayla knelt on the floor beside her and pulled her into her arms. Only then did Saraya start to cry. She still didn't speak, but her tears fell onto Cayla's robe as she held her and her sobs made her entire body shake.

After what seemed like hours, Saraya simply whispered, "She's gone..."

"Who is?" Cayla asked, holding her tighter.

"Mum... She's... She's _gone,_ Cay... Just bloody _dead_..." Saraya's tone was numb, her shock still clear.

Cayla's heart broke for her. She'd lost both of her parents before Trixie was even born, but her father had been gone from her life years before that. The loss of a mother, however, was one Cayla understood well. "I'm so sorry, honey," Cayla said. She felt tears in her own eyes. She'd loved her mother-in-law, a woman who was full of life and who had embraced Cayla for exactly who she was with no issue. "What happened?"

"Her heart... Dad said she'd been having trouble, but she didn't tell me... _Why_ didn't she tell me? I'm her bloody _daughter!_ I had a right to know! To... to prepare. To say goodbye..."

"There's no way to prepare for this, and knowing your mom, she didn't want to worry you. That wasn't her style."

"It's not bloody fair!" Saraya began sobbing again. "I'm aware I sound like a toddler, but-"

"You're entitled. I know she meant everything to you, Saraya. It's okay to freak out."

Saraya buried her face in Cayla's shoulder again. Cayla held her for a bit before Saraya said, "We have to tell Trixie..."

Cayla nodded. "I'll tell her to come here."

Saraya stood on shaky feet and crawled back into the bed. Cayla texted Trixie, _Something happened. Need you to meet us at our room right away._ Then she climbed into bed next to her wife and held her.

A short time later, Trixie used the spare key card to let herself in. She spotted her mothers and immediately said, "What's wrong?"

Cayla sat up and patted the bed next to her. Trixie nervously sat down. "What happened, Mom?" Trixie asked.

"Baby, your mum got some bad news today," Cayla began. She wasn't sure how to tell Trixie this. Her daughter was a happy kid. She'd had very little tragedy in her life. She'd been to a few funerals for wrestlers over the years, but she had never lost a family member before.

"What is it, Mom?" Trixie asked.

"We didn't know, but your grandmother has been sick..."

Trixie looked at her with the lost eyes of a child. She knew where this was going, but she was clearly desperate for Cayla to say anything but what she'd just figured out. It broke Cayla's heart to add, "She passed away, Baby. She's gone."

"She... She just texted me last night!" Trixie said. She started to cry. Cayla hated seeing her cry because it was so rare for Trixie to break like that. She wanted to hug her, but Saraya beat her to it. She rolled over and pulled Trixie down, holding her in her arms as they cried together. Cayla laid down on Trixie's other side and joined the tearful embrace.

They stayed like that for a while before Cayla went into List Making Mode. She knew they needed to do certain things to prepare for the days ahead. She would cancel all of Saraya's scheduled appearances and would take time off from work. She went online to search for tickets to London. A hotel wasn't an issue because she knew Saraya's father would insist they stay with him.

"Should I call Paul for you and tell him you need the time?" Cayla asked Trixie.

"No," Trixie said. "I'm an adult. I can call out of work myself."

"Alright. I love you, Baby."

"I love you, too, Mom... And Mum..." Trixie squeezed Saraya before finally letting her go. "I'm going to see if I can catch him before he and Stephanie leave the hotel. I'd rather do this in person."

"Good luck. I'll text you the flight information."

Trixie nodded. Cayla watched her walk away. Saraya was exhausted from crying and had passed out, so she set to work on completing her list. For the first time in their relationship, Saraya was truly the broken one. Cayla was more than willing to pick up the pieces. She prayed she would be able to do as good a job as Saraya always had with her.

 _ **TRIXIE**_

She had moved from shock to grief, but part of it still didn't seem real. Trixie found Paul sitting by the pool with several other people. It was everyone's day off and they were trying to relax. She felt bad bothering him, but knew she had no choice.

"Paul... Can I talk to you?" She asked.

He smiled at her. "What's up, Trixie?" He asked.

"Something happened... We had a death in the family and I need some time off to go to London... I know I just started but-" She was rambling and talking too quickly, but she couldn't stop.

"Sweetheart, relax. Of _course_ you can have time! Family comes first. Who passed away?"

"My grandmother."

"Not Sweet Saraya! That's horrible! How's your mom?"

She knew which parent he meant. "Broken... But Mum is tough. She will get through it."

He nodded. "Send my deepest condolences, and take as much time as you need."

Trixie thanked him. She got to the other side of the pool before she heard talking nearby. "...special treatment," the voice said.

"Shut your damn mouth, Asshole!" Molly retorted.

"I mean, it's not even her _real_ grandma," the first voice added.

An unfamiliar rage filled Trixie as she spun around to face the guy talking. It was Danny. Molly looked like she was going to attack him. Gabe, Lucas, Brandon, and Ginny were all watching and waiting to see what happened next.

Trixie marched up to him and before anyone saw it coming, she threw the hardest punch of her life. It connected solidly with Danny's cheek.

"Do not _ever_ say that she wasn't my grandmother again, you vile, insensitive little jerk!" Trixie shouted.

Molly and Gabe were both laughing hysterically. "Nice right hook," Ginny said.

Danny nearly fell into the water as he tried to recover from his shock. Trixie sort of wished that he _had_. He rubbed his jaw and cheek as he looked at her and stuttered out, "I-I'm sorry. That was a whole new level of douchebag, even for me."

Trixie hadn't expected an apology, but it didn't matter. She needed to get away from everyone. She took off running and refused to look back. She didn't stop until she got to a park. She leaned against a tree, slid down until she was sitting on the grass, and she began to cry again.

"Trixie?" A voice asked. It was Brandon, and he wasn't alone. Gabe and Lucas were with him. He knelt beside her. "I'm really sorry about your grandma. Are you okay?"

"Not even a little," Trixie admitted.

"Trixie isn't smiling," Gabe said. "We need to fix that."

"Agreed," Lucas said. He extended his hand to her. She took it and let him pull her up onto her feet.

"It really sucks losing family," Lucas said. "We're here if you need to talk."

"Not everyone is like Danny," Gabe added. "I'd offer to beat him up for you, but getting punched in front of everyone by a girl probably did more damage to him than I could ever do."

"Thanks, guys," Trixie said.

"I want to show you something," Brandon said. He took her hand and led her toward another spot in the park. There were flowers of every kind scattered through the area. Children laughed, dogs chased frisbees, and couples held hands. It was beautiful. It was _alive_.

"It's so peaceful here," Trixie said. "So happy."

"That's why we're here. So you can find your _happy_ , even if it's only for a little while."

Trixie leaned against him. "Thank you. I needed this. I needed to remember the joy."

"I figured."

They stayed there for a while until Trixie felt much better. Only then did the boys walk her back to the hotel. She wished she could bring them with her. This was going to be a hard week.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

 _ **DEAN**_

Dean had consumed entirely too much liquor. He tried not to do that anymore, but it had been a rough day. Unfortunately, this resulted in poor decision making and now he had a ring rat in his bed.

 _You're too old for this shit,_ he scolded himself. He slept around, sure. Monogamy was not for him, and every woman he was with knew he didn't do that. But ring rats? There was a time and place for screwing ring rats, and it was called the twenties. He was supposed to be smarter than that now.

She looked up at him with dark eyes and smiled. "My girls will never believe this," she said. "Can I get a picture with you?"

"If our clothes are back on, sure, I guess," he replied.

"What fun is that?"

"Sorry, but I'm not getting fired over a nude pic scandal for some girl I just met."

"They didn't fire Seth Rollins. Why would they fire you?"

"That was a completely different situation, and don't mention it again," he snapped at her. Colby was really sensitive about that entire situation, which had gotten way out of hand so many years earlier.

"But you're so much _sexier_ than Seth. I mean, I love a bad boy, you know? Seth's hot and all, but _you_? Him and Roman have _nothing_ on you. Come on, just _one_ photo?"

"Okay, stop talking. You're making my head hurt. And their names are Colby and Joe, not Seth and Roman."

"You let me call you Dean..."

"Because I happen to hate my birth name, and _everyone_ calls me Dean. But Colby and Joe are real people, and Seth and Roman are characters, and it freaks me out that you can't tell the difference. So stop."

She pouted at him. Her lips were sexy, but she looked like an evil toddler right then. "Come on, Dean. _One_ photo, and then I'll leave you alone..."

He rolled his eyes. "Listen, um... _You._ "

"Maggie. My name is _Maggie_. But I'll answer to whatever you want. We could play again. I could call you _Daddy_ -"

Enough was enough. He _hated_ that whole "Daddy" thing. Only pedophiles were into that shit, and nothing pissed him off or turned him off more. "Whatever. You aren't getting anything else from me, alright? Get your clothes on."

She stared at him. "Are you serious?"

"Extremely. Get out."

She made a big deal out of slowly getting dressed. She may have had a nice body, but he wasn't interested in her anymore. Not only was she a ring rat, but she didn't know how to take a hint. He saw her head toward the door, but then she turned and snapped a picture of him.

 _Fuck,_ he thought. He should have seen that coming. He was just a toy to her, a conquest. It shouldn't have bothered him, but it did. His crazier fan girls saw him as nothing more than a means to fulfill their fantasies. He wasn't a human being; he was a trophy. Sometimes, it got under his skin.

He didn't hit women, even bitchy ones who took illegal pictures of him lying naked in his bed, but he had to get that photo deleted and _fast_. He stood and wrapped the sheet around his body. She flung the door open and was ready to run, but she didn't make it out the door.

Molly blocked her path. She took one look at Dean and then saw the phone in the girl's hand. Molly launched into action immediately. She took the phone from the girl's hand and pushed a few buttons. Then she handed it back to her and grabbed her throat. She pushed her up against the wall and said, "If you fuck with my father again, I'll fucking kill you." Molly smiled as she said this. The girl looked appropriately terrified. Molly released her. "You should run now."

The ring rat ran from the room. Molly came into the room and closed the door. She tossed Dean his boxers and jeans and turned around so he could get dressed.

"Impeccable timing, Offspring," he told her as he zipped up his jeans.

"You okay, Sire?" Molly asked.

"Yeah... I made the mistake of drinking last night and, well, _that_ happened."

"You have to be firm with the rats, Sire, or they don't stop their bullshit."

He walked over and hugged her. "Thanks."

"No big. You chase away the perverts and I chase away the ring rats. That's how we work."

He smiled. She was right. He'd uttered death threats to more than one guy who'd tried to push things with Molly. He didn't really need to. Molly usually broke their hands if they tried to touch her without permission, but backing her up after the fact was just one of the ways Dean showed he cared.

"So, why the visit, Offspring?"

She looked at him and asked, "Do I need a reason to pay tribute to my Sire all of a sudden?"

"Of course not. But you _have_ one." He knew her well enough to see something was bothering her.

She sighed. "Sweet Saraya died."

"I heard. Cay and Saraya are really upset. Corri told me they're all taking it hard. So, what troubles you, Offspring?"

"It's just... Trixie is broken. I've never seen her so upset... And I suck at helping her."

"You're _great_ at helping her. She's your best friend."

"Yeah, and it's usually easy to fix her. Trix is happy by nature. It doesn't take much. But this? I have no clue what to do for her."

"Just listen, and don't offer any clichés. They don't help."

Molly looked vulnerable, which didn't happen often. "I don't know how she feels... I mean, I get that death sucks, but I... I never had a grandparent to mourn. I don't know my mom's side of the family, or if I did, I don't remember them, and I never met your parents."

Dean tensed. "Look, my parents were assholes. You're better off." He tried not to think about them. His father had been abusive and, thankfully, largely absent from his life. His mother was a drug addict. She'd abused him, too, and so had her boyfriends. As long as they kept her high, she didn't care what they did to him. He closed his eyes and took a breath to chase away the ghosts of memories he never wanted to recall.

Molly sensed his distress and snuggled up against him. That helped. "I'm sorry... I know I'm better off, but... How can I help Trixie if I can't understand her loss?"

"You understand _her_ , Molly. That's all that matters. If she needs to talk, just listen."

She nodded. "Thank you, Sire. I'm good now..." She studied him. "Are _you_?"

"I'll be fine, Offspring." He needed a distraction. "Want breakfast?"

"Sounds good."

Together, they left to get food. Dean pushed the past out of his mind and focused on the present and his daughter, the one thing he had never screwed up in his life.

 _ **SARAYA**_

Upon waking up, Saraya had promptly decided that she was not going to do this.

It was very simple, really. She was just going to shower, get dressed, eat some breakfast, and go about her usual routine. This was a day like any other. She would then get herself booked back on the show she'd originally been scheduled for, and she'd head there. Wrestling was what kept her going in the darkest of times, and this… This was one of those times, but it didn't have to be. If she just kept going and did exactly what she'd originally been scheduled to do, nothing would change. She wouldn't have to admit that anything had happened. Everything would be fine.

There was one problem with that, however. Cayla would not stop bloody packing.

"Come on, Luv. Let's get some breakfast and forget everything," Saraya suggested. "I'll call the promotion I was scheduled for, and you can come watch me beat the crap out of some up-and-comer. It'll be fun, Cay."

Cayla looked at her sympathetically. "You know we can't do that," she said gently.

"Sure we can. Why not, right?"

"Saraya…" Cayla sighed. She stopped packing, which to Saraya was a small victory. If Cayla wasn't packing, she didn't have to admit she was going to London and not just to whichever state she'd been scheduled to appear in that day. She really couldn't remember at this point. Cayla pulled Saraya into her arms and Saraya took a deep breath. She could lose herself forever in her wife's scent. It was the most comforting scent in the world, next to her mum's…

 _You're never going to smell that again,_ an evil little voice told her.

 _Sod the bloody fuck off!_ Saraya cursed internally. She didn't need that sort of negativity in her life. She tried to banish the thought, but it lingered. She pulled Cayla closer to her, burying her face in her hair, trying to forget everything else.

"I'm so sorry we have to do this," Cayla said. "I know how hard this is for you."

"No, you don't!" Saraya snapped as she pulled away suddenly. "You have no idea what it's like to lose someone like my mum! You don't have a bloody _clue_!" She regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth. Cayla looked like she'd been slapped. She tried to cover it up, but Saraya realized how much she'd just hurt her. "Cay… Luv, I'm sorry…"

"It's fine," Cayla said. She began compulsively folding again, making sure the creases in the sweater she was folding were absolutely perfect. She apparently wasn't satisfied, because she unfolded it and began again.

"No, it's not," Saraya said. "That was probably the dumbest thing I've ever said. You lost your mum, too. I know how close you were to her… She was all you had. I mean, at least _I_ had my dad."

"Don't apologize. You have a right to be stressed out, Saraya."

"Yeah, but I _don't_ have a right to take that out on _you_. I'm just being a bloody bitch because… Well, because I don't know how to deal with this."

Cayla stopped folding again. She looked at Saraya and said, "It's okay. Really."

Saraya walked over to her and pulled her back into her arms where she belonged. "No, Cay. It's _never_ okay for me to talk to you like that, _especially_ when I couldn't be more wrong. You are _not_ my punching bag. I love you."

"I know. I love you, too."

Saraya kissed her. "Cay… I don't know how to do this. I _can't_ bloody do this. I just want to go back to work and forget this ever happened."

"You'd never forgive yourself if you didn't go home right now."

"But… But I'm not strong enough, Cayla. Not for this."

Cayla pulled away and looked deep into Saraya's eyes. "You _can_ do this. You are one of the strongest people I know, Saraya. And you aren't alone. You have me, and you have Trixie, and we're here for you." She paused. "You got me through so much, Saraya. It's my turn to take care of _you_."

Saraya nodded. "I love you… Please don't leave my side right now, Cay… Even if I push you away, please just tell me to stop being a bloody bitch and stay with me. I need you…" She hated herself as she felt tears start streaming down her cheeks. "I can't do this without you."

"I'm here," Cayla promised. She kissed Saraya's tears off of her cheeks and held her as she added, "I'm not going anywhere."

 _ **RANDY**_

It had been one of those nights. Corri had spent most of it with Cayla trying to help her plan a last minute trip to London for the worst possible reason. Randy had spent a little while with his sons before leaving them to try and get some rest. It had taken him hours to fall asleep because he had too much on his mind. Some nights, his thoughts simply refused to turn off, especially when he was stressed out. He was worried about Saraya and Cayla and Trixie, and on top of that, he was worried about Nicky, who seemed a little more stressed out than usual. Nicky had brushed his concern off, but he usually did. The kid held a lot in.

Corri had come back at around two in the morning. She'd been stressed, too, so her solution had been to pounce on him. (Not that he minded.) They'd made love for a while before both of them were finally exhausted. The sun had been rising by the time Randy finally fell asleep with Corri in his arms. He'd woken up alone. Corri had left him a note, _Meeting the boys for breakfast. Didn't want to wake you because you looked so exhausted. Love you. See you later, Sexy._

He smiled. At least he knew where all of them were. He got up and got in the shower in an attempt to wake himself up. It barely helped, so he drank some coffee. He was hungry, so he headed to the restaurant in the hotel.

He ate on autopilot and tried to relax. He was fairly calm until he sensed trouble. He looked up and saw Luke Harper standing way too close to his Goddaughter.

Ginny was tense. Harper towered over her and she almost looked like a frightened child. Randy could tell someone was wrong. He stood and quickly walked over to them. He saw Harper put a hand on Ginny's arm before he made it to her. Ginny was trembling. She pulled away violently.

"Everything alright here?" Randy asked.

Harper glared at him. "Just catching up with my old friend here," he said pleasantly. That rubbed Randy the wrong way. He had never liked Harper, and seeing Ginny's reaction to him just made that worse.

"Back off," he warned him.

"You're over-reacting. Little Ginny and I go _way_ back. We were just _talking_ , Orton."

"And now you're _done_ talking."

Harper rolled his eyes. He turned to Ginny. "I'll see you again _real_ soon, Sweetheart," he said before walking away.

Ginny was still trembling. Randy reached toward her gently. "Gin? Are you alright?" He asked her.

She jerked away from him. Then she realized what she'd done. "Sorry," she said quickly.

He led her aside, taking her away from the crowd before asking, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing… I'm… I'm fine."

He kept walking because Ginny clearly needed space. She took the lead and he followed her. "Ginny, come on. What's going on?"

"He… I just don't like him."

"I don't blame you."

"Thanks for coming over… I don't think he would have left otherwise."

"No problem. Gin, what happened? Did he try something on you?"

She was zoning out again as they reached a hotel room. It must have been hers, because she was fumbling with a key card and trying to get the door open. She was shaking and unfocused, so Randy took the key from her and opened the door himself. He followed her inside. Randy was really worried about her now. Ginny wasn't usually the type of girl who freaked out like this. He reached out for her and Ginny jumped.

"I… Sorry," she said again.

"Honey, talk to me. Please," Randy said. "You know I'm here for you. I love you."

Ginny sat down on her bed. Randy sat beside her and she buried her face in his shoulder. He held her for a moment before she did something that completely threw him off; she kissed him.

Randy pulled away quickly. "Virginia, what the _hell_?" He asked in shock.

Ginny tried to kiss him again. He stood up and put some distance between them. "You're my _Goddaughter,_ " he reminded her. "And I'm _married_."

She turned to face him and he saw something in her eyes that he recognized. The desperation and pain were all too familiar to him. "Ginny, please… What's going on? What happened?" He asked.

She started to cry. "I'm sorry," she blurted out. "I just… You're _safe_. I trust you… I know you won't hurt me and… and… and I need to feel that way… God, I'm so stupid!"

"Virginia Runnels, you are _not_ stupid!" He held her in his arms and she started to cry into his shoulder. "Tell me what's going on. This isn't like you."

"He…" She started crying harder. "He _touched_ me, Randy…"

"Ginny…" He was terrified he knew where this was going, and if he was right, he was going to jail because he would kill Harper himself.

"He's been watching me, and being creepy, but this was the first time he came over… And he said things to me, and he… He _touched_ me."

"I know, Ginny. I saw."

"No… You _don't_ know. No one does…" She was crying so hard her entire body was shaking. He held her tighter.

"Tell me, Ginny. Tell me what he did."

"I haven't seen him in years. Not alone, anyway. I avoided him." She shook her head. "Forget it. It doesn't matter."

"Ginny, you _kissed_ me. You need to tell me what pushed you that far over the edge."

"He… He got me alone once. Dad had a match, and Mom was with Faye, and I wandered off because I wanted to hang out with the wrestlers… I still did that back then. It was my dream to be just like them, you know?"

He remembered. Ginny had been a really adventurous kid. She'd always loved the business and spent every second she could following the wrestlers around… Then she'd stopped. She had decided she didn't want to do that anymore. Everyone had chalked it up to her growing up, but…

"What happened, Ginny? What did he do to you?" He tried to keep his mind from jumping to the worst possible scenario, but it was impossible.

"He told me he wanted to show me something, and I… I went with him. I trusted everyone back then. I followed him into an area no one else was in, and he closed the door, and I… He…" She was shaking even worse now. "I can't. Please just forget I said anything."

He pulled her even closer to him. "Tell me, Ginny. Tell me what that bastard did to you and I'll make sure he can't _ever_ do it again."

She took a deep breath and whispered, "He made me… He…" She tried again, and she began speaking rapidly, almost too rapidly for Randy to keep up. "He said he wanted to show me a cool move, and he pinned me down, and I didn't think anything of it until he started to touch me… He put his hands all over me, and he was touching my skin, and I knew something wasn't right then… I told him to stop, but he… He just got turned on by that, I think. He stopped holding back and he pulled my clothes off and he took what he wanted… He just… He forced me to… And he told me if I ever told anyone, he'd kill my dad and my mom, and he'd do that to my sister… He told me if I didn't give him what he wanted whenever he wanted it, he'd hurt Faye…" She was sobbing so hard he could barely understand her now. "I couldn't deal with him doing that… It hurt so much, Randy… I was _twelve_! I was only twelve years old, and I didn't even understand what had happened, not really… I was so scared… So I just told my parents I didn't want to be around the WWE anymore. I told them I was bored and I hated it, and I asked if I could take self-defense classes instead. I insisted Faye take them with me, and since I didn't want to come around anymore, Faye stayed with me because she always did whatever I did. She was safe… She was safe, and we learned how to protect ourselves, and I thought everything would be fine, but then Faye decided she wanted to come to work at the WWE anyway, and I knew she'd do it with or without me, and I couldn't let her come alone… Not with him still here. I _couldn't_! So I came back… I always wanted to be a wrestler anyway, but I'd thrown that dream away because I couldn't face him… But I had to protect her, Randy. I _had_ to. And it was fine. _I_ was fine. But then, today… He touched me. He _touched_ me!" She collapsed against him, too exhausted to continue now.

Randy wanted to kill. He wanted to run from that room and grab Harper and beat the hell out of him until he was dead, and he suspected he wouldn't even be able to stop then. He wanted to do a lot of things, but he ignored all of those impulses and held Ginny in his arms instead.

"I'm so sorry, Ginny," he whispered. He stroked her hair and made soothing sounds until she was calmer.

Ginny finally pulled away and looked at him. "I'm sorry," she said. "You must think I'm so weak… Pathetic…"

"No. I don't think that at _all,_ Ginny."

"I couldn't stop him. I was so stupid! I _went_ with him! I did this to myself."

"Virginia, stop that right now! You are _not_ stupid, or weak, or pathetic. You're _strong._ You walked away. You found a way to protect your sister, and yourself, and you did the smartest thing you could. You learned to fight."

"It was too late. If I hadn't gone with him to begin with-"

"You were just a little girl. You didn't know any better."

"I was old enough."

"You trusted him. He was your dad's co-worker. You _should_ have been able to trust him. This isn't your fault. You couldn't have known what he'd do to you."

"I always felt like I deserved it… Like I wasn't worthy of being my father's daughter because I couldn't protect myself."

"Ginny…" His heart was breaking. He understood this far too well. "This kind of thing happens to a lot of people. You didn't deserve it, and you didn't do anything wrong."

"I should have been able to stop it."

"You were just a kid, Ginny…" His own emotions threatened to overwhelm him. "I understand how you feel."

Ginny laughed that off. "I appreciate the sympathy, but you couldn't _possibly_ understand this, Randy."

"Gin… _I understand_."

She looked at him. He forced himself not to look away. He let her stare into his eyes. She was searching for the meaning of his words. "But…?" Was all she managed to ask. Then she added, "But you're… _you_."

"And before I was me, I was a kid. A scared, broken little kid who needed to be protected and who wasn't because the one who should have protected me was the one hurting me."

"You mean… Your father?"

"There's a reason I never saw him in the time you've been alive, Ginny. There's a reason I never let my sons near him."

"He beat you?"

"He did. And he did more than that." He had to be strong and keep talking. Ginny needed to know she wasn't alone, but he couldn't prove that to her if he didn't tell her the truth. He never talked about this anymore, but she needed him. He'd wished for years that someone, _anyone_ might understand what had happened to him. He couldn't leave her in that situation, not if he could help.

"Oh my God, Randy… I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

"Very few people know the truth. My mother knows now. Corri knows. And Paul knows because when things got out of hand, I had to tell him the truth."

"You mean… You didn't tell?"

"Not a soul. Not for decades. And I was older than you were when it stopped. In fact, it only stopped because I left for the military. I joined just to get away from him, and when that didn't work out too well, I came to WWE. At that point, he still hit me sometimes, but the rest of it stopped."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"I was ashamed. I thought I did something wrong to make him do that to me. Just like _you_ feel… Ginny, listen to me. Rape is _never_ the victim's fault, _especially_ not when the person is a child."

"I couldn't tell my parents. I know I should have, but I knew it would upset Dad so much… I was afraid of breaking him. I didn't want to hurt him or disappoint him."

"You were twelve and scared. It's understandable. But Ginny, you need to tell him now. You need to tell Paul, too. If you report this, he can't hurt you or anyone else anymore."

"I… I can't. Randy, I _can't_."

"You can do this. It's the hardest thing in the world, but once you do… Once the truth is out, you can _heal_ , Ginny. You need to do this. You need to take your life back."

She began crying again. He held her closer, letting her cry until she had exhausted all of her tears. Then, he said, "I can stay with you if you need me to."

"My dad… He'll freak out."

"Your dad understands this kind of thing happens. He's one of the others who knows the truth about me, and believe me, it took a long time for me to admit it to him, but he's like my brother. And you know what? He was awesome about it. He's a great shoulder to cry on, and he cares about people more than pretty much anyone I know. He can help you through this."

She hesitated. "Will you really stay with me?"

"For as long as you need. I promise."

She nodded. Then she handed him her phone. "Can you call him? I don't trust myself to do it."

Randy dialed Cody's number. He picked up almost immediately. "Hey, Baby," Cody said.

Normally, Randy would have responded to that with something sarcastic like "Hello Sweetheart," but not today. Instead, he said, "Cody, it's me. Listen, can you come to Ginny's room? She needs you."

Cody didn't even hesitate. "I'll be right there. Is she alright?"

"No. But she will be." He was certain of that. If Ginny told her father the truth, she'd start to heal.

Cody got there a very short time later. He immediately took Ginny into his arms and she started sobbing again. Randy stayed close, but let her do the talking. It took a while, but she finally said the words, "When I was twelve, Luke Harper raped me… And using veiled threats, he made it clear today that he wants to do it again."

Randy thought Cody might explode. His face turned very neutral and he knew he was holding in his emotions for his daughter's sake. He was tempted to offer to help Cody dispose of Harper's dead body, but he wouldn't say that in front of Ginny.

"Baby… Baby, I'm so sorry," Cody whispered. "I had no idea… You never told us…"

"I couldn't. I was too ashamed, and scared," Ginny said.

"You don't have to be afraid anymore. I'll take care of this. He'll never hurt you again. I'm going to tell Paul what he did."

Ginny nodded numbly. It was decided. When she was finally ready, Randy left to head back to his room. Only once he was there did he let his façade drop. He began to cry his own tears, and once he started, he was afraid he wouldn't stop.

Randy hadn't let himself think about his father in years. The bastard had been out of his life since before he and Corri had gotten married, and he'd been dead for nearly a decade now. It was a small comfort knowing he'd never be able to hurt him again. Randy tried never to let the memories surface, but now, his nerves felt exposed. Every painful memory was threatening to attack him and overwhelm him. He couldn't breathe. He curled up on his bed and tried to cling to the present, but his mind was slipping into the past. He hadn't had a flashback since the day he broke his father's hand when his father had tried to hit Corri. It turned out that time hadn't made them suck any less.

 _ **TRIXIE**_

She'd packed about a zillion times before she was satisfied with how she'd organized things. It still felt wrong. How could she pack for a funeral when she couldn't process the fact that her grandmother was dead? Trixie sighed. This was going to be a very rough week.

She took her things and left the room. She was meeting her parents at the airport. She struggled with her suitcase, trying to function and failing miserably. The suitcase got stuck on a corner and she cursed softly.

"Need a hand?" Brandon asked, joining her. He unstuck her suitcase and took it from her.

"Thanks," Trixie managed to say.

"Heading to the airport?"

"Yeah… I just need to catch a cab-"

Brandon looked appalled. "No way. You're not going to the airport in some cab when you have so much stress to deal with already. I've got a rental. I'll drive you."

"You don't have to-"

"I _want_ to. When people are in pain, they should have other people making their lives easier. I'm happy to contribute." He led her toward his car. He proceeded to open her door for her.

 _Chivalry. God, he's adorable,_ Trixie thought.

Brandon loaded her luggage into his trunk before getting into his seat. He started driving. "How long will you be gone?" He asked.

"About a week," Trixie replied.

"Try to have a good trip. I know it's going to be hard…"

"I think it'll help, seeing everyone. I miss them, and they lost her, too, so…" She sighed.

Brandon reached over and squeezed her hand. A chill ran through her. She really liked the way he made her feel. "Be safe, okay?" He asked as they arrived at the airport. He got out of the car and opened her door again before pulling out her luggage.

"Thanks. For the ride, and for being so nice to me."

"I'll always be nice to you," he promised. He hugged her. Trixie liked the way _that_ felt, too. She let herself linger in his arms for a minute before pulling away. It was time to face the hardest flight of her life. She spotted her parents and tried to prepare for the very situation she'd never wanted to have to deal with. It was time to say goodbye.

 _ **CORRI**_

When Corri got back to the hotel room, she figured she'd ask Randy if he wanted to go get some lunch. She hadn't expected to find Randy trembling in their bed, sobbing and whimpering and broken. It had been so long since she'd seen him like this, but she remembered it all too well.

"Randy, what happened?" She asked. He didn't respond. He wasn't there, not really. He'd gotten lost in some memory she could only imagine. She sat beside him and pulled him forcibly into her arms. He tried to struggle away from her.

"No more," he whispered. "Stop it." He sounded like a terrified child.

Corri held him tighter. "Randy, it's me. It's _Corri_ ," she told him. "It's alright. You're safe. You're _safe._ " She might be out of practice with his flashbacks, but she still remembered how to comfort him.

Slowly, Randy stopped struggling. He looked at her in confusion for a moment before pulling her even closer to him. He started kissing her with a desperation she knew too well. He needed her to make him forget.

"It's alright," she told him again. "I'm here. I love you. You're okay." She kissed him back and let him touch her, holding back so he could take the lead and do whatever he needed to get control of his emotions. "I love you," she said again.

After Randy made love to her, he collapsed on top of her. She stroked his back and he finally spoke. "I love you," he told her.

He passed out after that. She let him, knowing he needed to recover from whatever had just happened. She would push him for answers later, but for now, she just needed to stay with him and keep him calm. She kept her arms wrapped around him and protected him with her body, knowing that was what he needed. She loved her husband more than anything, and it scared her to see him like this. It had been so long… What could possibly have broken him?

 _It doesn't matter,_ she decided. _Whatever it is, I'll put him back together._


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER NINE**

 _ **KEITH**_

Keith was topless and working out hard on the weight lifting bench when someone declared, "Looking _good_ , Orton!"

Keith looked up and saw Claire Johnstone watching him with obvious interest. He vaguely knew her. Claire was a Diva down at NXT. She was traveling with the main roster for the week so she could job to Nikki Bella before Nikki faced one of the girls from his stable. Nikki was a part-time wrestler and since she had once broken AJ Lee's record for having the longest Divas title reign, she was considered a Legend. That disgusted Keith, who believed Nikki was one of the worst wrestlers ever to grace the main roster, but the fans were into the rivalry. Of course, it had been his mother who broke Nikki's record, a fact the fans had embraced and been thrilled by. Corri had only had to relinquish the title because she got pregnant with Keith. She'd once told him she was glad he'd come along because she hadn't technically been defeated when her reign ended.

Claire smiled at him flirtatiously. "Yeah, sweat's sexy, right?" He teased her. He'd never talked to her before, but she seemed to be feeling chatty.

"Extremely." She got closer. "We're athletes. We sweat. It's part of maintaining these bodies." She brushed up against him in her workout clothes, which showed a _lot_ of skin. "You know, I've been wanting to talk to you since we were at NXT together, but I'm too shy."

He doubted that Claire could _ever_ be called shy. He smirked at her. "Oh, really? Well, what changed?"

Claire caressed his bicep and ran one of her long red nails over his chest. Keith shuddered. _Damn,_ he thought. That girl knew what she was doing.

"Want a spotter?" She asked instead of directly answering his question.

"Sure," he said with a smile. He went back to lifting weights. Claire stood over him and threw out encouraging phrases as he did his thing. She leaned over him so her breasts were in his face at one point and he had to look away.

 _This girl is throwing herself at you,_ he thought. _Make a move, idiot! She's clearly interested._

When he finally set the weights down, he sat up and looked at her. "Do you want to get some lunch?" He asked.

Claire smiled and said, "Absolutely!"

"Let me grab a quick shower and we can go wherever you want."

"That sounds great."

Keith hurried to the shower and washed away all the sweat Claire apparently found attractive. He dried off and got changed. This might be interesting. He'd been on dates before, of course, but he'd never dated a Diva. They understood the crazy schedule and, when they were on the main roster, they were always there with you. His parents had gotten to be together all the time even while they were living their wrestling dreams. That might be kind of nice.

He walked out and saw that Claire had changed into a sexy red dress and had released her long brown hair from it's ponytail. _Jesus, she's hot,_ he thought. She grinned like she knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Come on, Claire," he said. "My rental's downstairs."

They drove and made small talk. The restaurant she'd picked was a nice little cafe that charged way too much, but Keith didn't care. Money didn't mean much to him, and although he earned plenty with WWE, he hardly ever spent any of it. He could afford to spoil her if that's what she wanted.

He ordered a deluxe cheeseburger with fries, onion rings, and bacon. Working out always left him starving. Claire seemed either horrified or amused by the sight of his monster burger. He wasn't entirely sure which. She had ordered a simple house salad. The rabbit food was about the size of a toddler's meal and cost thirteen dollars.

"Is that all you're gonna eat?" He asked.

"Yep. This is plenty," Claire said. "I'm full just looking at it." She played with her fork, moving the salad around as she talked.

He'd never been one for girls who ate like birds. He was afraid of breaking them. Besides, with his aunt's recurring anorexia issues, he usually became concerned about that. Cayla hadn't had a relapse since Trixie was three, but he'd been five, and he still remembered the way she would find excuses not to eat. She always acted like she was fine, and she smiled and seemed happy, so he never thought she might not be okay. He watched her push food around on her plate without eating it the same way Claire was doing now. She'd talk a lot and keep everyone focused on that, so no one really noticed she wasn't eating. Then, something had happened that Keith could never forget. It still terrified him. The unwelcome memory flashed through his head.

 _Cayla was playing with Keith backstage at RAW. His father had a match and his mom was at ringside. Trixie and Nicky were following Dean around, but Cayla had looked lonely, so Keith had stayed with her. All of a sudden, she started shaking._

 _"I'm okay," she told him. "I'm just tired." She sat down._

 _Keith turned around for only a second, but in that second, he heard a noise. He turned back around to see his aunt lying on the floor in front of her chair._

 _"Aunt Cayla!" He called, but she didn't respond. "Aunt Cay, wake up!" He was terrified. He shook her, but she still didm't come around. "Help!" He shouted. No one heard him. He curled up with her on the floor, determined to keep her safe until he could get her some help._

 _He was young, so he wasn't sure how much time passed, but Big Show finally came backstage and discovered Keith clinging to Cayla and trying not to cry._

 _Show called Cody over to comfort Keith and reassured him he would get Cayla help. He'd proceeded to scoop her up in his giant arms and carry her out of his sight. Keith didn't see Cayla again for over a month as she went into in-patient therapy. She'd come back looking much better and she'd promised him she would never do that to him again. She'd kept her word, but part of him was still so afraid it might happen again._

"Open your mouth," he said to Claire suddenly.

She looked at him sideways. "What?" She asked.

"Humor me."

Claire laughed, but she did it. He picked up a french fry and fed it to her. She stared at him, but ate it. "That's better," he said.

"I can't eat like that," Claire said. "Fries are so fattening and greasy!"

"And _delicious_. Don't miss out on fun food. Live your life, Claire."

"I'm a Diva, Keith. I have to keep my figure-"

"You weight, like, five pounds. Soaking wet. You need to eat." He looked into her eyes. "You're beautiful, Claire, but if you don't eat, you'll waste away. I've seen it. Please... Just eat, okay?"

For thefirst time, her smile didn't seem forced. "You think I'm beautiful?" She asked.

"Very," he confirmed.

"You're sweet," she said. She finally actually ate some of her salad, although she refused to eat any more french fries. He still counted it as a victory.

 _ **RANDY**_

He'd had a rough night. The nightmares were back. He couldn't go more than a half hour without waking up screaming. Corri was terrified for him. She held him most of the night, and that helped, but this was worse than he'd been in ages. He'd finally had to tell Corri what had happened with Ginny. After cursing her head off about Harper and declaring she planned to castrate him, she'd kissed him and stopped trying to get him to sleep.

He knew it was ridiculous to be so freaked out. His monster was dead and buried... But talking about it again had made the wounds too fresh. He couldn't shake the fear, or the memories he'd thought he was over.

"Sexy? Earth to Sexy," Corri called.

He blinked at her. "Huh?" He asked. "Sorry..."

"It's okay, Randy. I understand." She took his hand in hers. "Are you sure you can handle this?"

"Ginny needs me. I'll find a way to deal. I can put my crap aside for her," he said.

"I can go with you."

"Ginny wants to keep this as quiet as possible. She wants me and Cody there, because she's terrified, but no one else."

"Okay. I'll be here when you're done. I'm proud of you, Randy."

"For falling apart?" He asked.

"No, Baby. For _not_ falling apart. You can break all you want in private. That's what _I'm_ here for. But you're putting that all aside to help Ginny, and I know how hard that is for you... You're the strongest man I know, Randy."

"I don't _feel_ strong right now."

"That's what makes you even stronger. You feel weak and you're falling apart, but you're holding yourself together anyway. You always put others first. _That_ is strong." She kissed him. " _And_ sexy, for the record."

"I love you."

"I love you, too. Now go be Ginny's rock, and I'll be waiting to be yours after."

He nodded and headed up to the "office" Paul was using for this meeting. Ginny and Cody met him there. Ginny was shaking. Cody squeezed her hand.

"Ginny! I'm glad to see you here," Paul greeted her. "I assume this is about your character and where you want it to go."

Ginny couldn't look at him. "Actually, no, Paul," Randy said since no one else spoke. "This is about something more serious."

Paul leaned back in his chair and looked at Randy. Then he looked back at Ginny and Cody and asked, "Alright, what did I miss?"

Ginny took a deep breath and tried to speak. She couldn't do it. She looked at Randy. He saw the desperation in her vulnerable eyes and he stood behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "You can do this, Gin," he told her.

She nodded. She tried again. "Something… Something happened to me, a while ago," she began.

"What is it, honey?" Paul asked. He could clearly tell she was having issues getting this out to him and he was trying his best to sound supportive. It didn't matter. Randy knew how hard this conversation was to have. He'd done it himself two decades before.

"I… I was attacked… By a wrestler."

Paul tensed. He looked like he was trying not to accept what she was saying. "Attacked _how_?"

She turned and looked at Randy again. He nodded at her encouragingly. She looked back at Paul, forcing herself to look into his eyes.

"I was raped." She was still trembling, but she stood with her head up, and Randy was insanely proud of her. She was so strong.

Now Paul looked like he might attack someone. "Who did it, sweetheart? Who hurt you? When was this?" He asked.

"Harper…" She barely got the name out, but Paul caught it. His eyes bulged with rage.

"I'll kill him… When the fuck was this? I'll have his ass… Where's my damn sledgehammer?"

Randy shuddered, flashing back on the day he'd told Paul about his father. He'd had the same reaction. Rapists apparently inspired the urge to bludgeon in Paul. Randy didn't want to be back there. He took his own deep breath and focused on Ginny.

"You're doing great," Randy told her.

"It… It was a while ago. I was twelve," Ginny said.

"Tw- _twelve_?" Paul stuttered. "That son of a _bitch_!"

Ginny flinched at his rage. Cody pulled her into his arms and embraced her. "It's okay, Baby," he told her. "You did good. Everything's okay now."

" _Paul._ " Randy said, putting as much into the single word as he could.

Paul looked at Ginny and realized she was terrified. "I'm sorry," he said quickly. "Ginny, I'm so sorry this happened. I had no idea… I never would have let him stay around you, or around _any_ of the kids if I knew."

Ginny nodded quickly, refusing to look at him. She'd stood her ground long enough to tell him the truth, but now, she needed to retreat. Randy understood that urge.

"I want him arrested, Paul. I want his ass in jail. Or dead. Either one's good," Cody said.

"I agree with you, Cody, but…" Paul paused, looking at Ginny. "Can we talk alone? Maybe Ginny should get some rest?"

"No," Ginny said. "I need to hear it. Whatever it is."

Paul nodded. "Okay, Kid. I'm going to be straight with you. It's been a very long time since this happened to you. That doesn't make it any less horrible, and I want this bastard to pay for it, but…"

"But I waited too long," Ginny cut him off. "I understand. It's fine."

"No. No, it's _anything_ but fine. The thing is, without proof, I can only do so much. I can't have him arrested without evidence. His lawyer would drag you to court and put you through an awful trial and in the end, it would get thrown out because it would be your word against his. I can't put you through that knowing that's how it would end. It isn't fair to you."

She stood. "It's fine, Paul. I get it. I should have spoken up sooner. But now you know, so just keep an eye on everyone around him, right? It's fine." She tried to leave, but Cody pulled her back into his arms.

"Baby, stop," Cody said gently. "Let him talk."

"I already know what he's going to say. He can't do anything because I didn't speak up when it happened. It's too late. I missed my chance," Ginny said.

"Okay, you're partially right," Paul said. "I can't have him arrested, Ginny. I'm sorry. I wish that I could. I also wish I could just kill him and make this problem go away, but sadly, vigilante justice is illegal. What I _can_ do is try to make enough of a case to have him fired. It's a very small thing, but it's something I can do so you and everyone else around here will be safe. The thing is, I need more than just your word. Another victim, maybe, or a witness."

"There aren't any witnesses," Ginny said. "No one knows."

"I'm sorry, Ginny. Truly. I'll see what I can do."

"See what you can _do_?" Cody demanded. "You can fire his ass and have him blacklisted, Paul! You can go to the media and warn everyone he's a fucking _pedophile!_ You can let _me_ handle him! I'll kill him _myself_!"

Randy saw Cody getting ready to throw a punch and grabbed his arm a split second before he could. "Breathe, Cody," he said gently. "I know you're furious, and you _should_ be, but you can't just punch Paul."

"Wanna _bet_?" Cody asked. He pulled his hand free and tried again.

"Dad, _stop_!" Ginny said. She grabbed his hand and Cody immediately let go of his rage. It was rare for him to lose his temper or act unprofessional. He never cursed at his bosses or in front of his kids. Now, however, he was a pissed off father whose daughter had been hurt. All bets were off. He might just kill Paul if someone didn't stop him.

"I'm sorry," Cody said to her. "I just… You're my baby, and someone hurt you, and he's telling me there's nothing he can do!"

"He's right," Ginny said. Her tone was detached and practical. Ginny was often analytical, and right now, she was clinging to that. "Legally, there's nothing he can do unless he has proof or at least more than one accusation."

Cody looked at Randy and he saw him hesitate before he said, "You fired Bob Orton and banned him from all WWE events when Randy told you the truth."

Randy looked at him and tried to let him know he wasn't mad he was dropping his name into this. Cody had a right to be angry, and he was right. Paul and Stephanie _had_ banned Randy's father after the truth had come out.

"That was different," Paul said. "He attacked Corri _and_ Randy backstage, to the point that Randy had to break his hand to stop him from hitting Corri. There was a _recent_ physical assault with witnesses. We had _proof_."

Cody looked defeated. He understood the business better than anyone. He didn't try to argue further. "I want him gone," he said instead. There was no emotion in his tone now.

"I'm going to do everything in my power to make that happen," Paul promised.

Ginny looked at him. Her face was brave again as she said, "Thank you, Paul. I appreciate your time." Then she walked out of the office. Randy and Cody followed behind her.

"Are you okay?" Randy asked her.

"Yeah," Ginny said. She was lying, but he didn't call her on it.

"I'm proud of you, Ginny," he said instead.

"We both are," Cody added.

"It didn't do anything," Ginny said.

"You told the truth. Every time you do that, you get a little bit stronger," Randy said. He hugged her.

"Thanks," she said. "I appreciate your help."

"I'm always here for you, Ginny."

"I know." She took Cody's hand. "Come on, Dad… I just want to get out of here."

Cody nodded. "Okay, Baby. Let's go," he said. He looked back at Randy and mouthed, _Thank you_ as they walked away.

When he was alone, Randy immediately called Corri. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"Not even slightly," Randy admitted.

"I'm coming. Just stay where you are, okay?"

"Okay." He hung up. Things had gone terribly. Sure, Ginny had told the truth, but nothing had happened. Harper couldn't be arrested after all this time, and chances were, Paul wouldn't be able to find a reason to fire him. This had been a disaster, and Ginny was devastated.

When Corri arrived, he caught her up. "That's such bullshit!" She said.

"He needs at least one more accusation before he can try to fire Harper," Randy told her.

Corri hesitated. "I may be able to help," she said after a minute. 

"How?"

"I think I know someone who may have been targeted by Harper. I'll tell you more when I know for sure, okay? I'll get in touch with her later, but right now, _you_ need me." She pulled him into her arms and Randy felt calmer. Everything was better when Corri was there. He was grounded. He was in the present. He would be alright.

 _ **SARAYA**_

They arrived at her family's home to the sound of a lot of noise, laughter, and drunkenness. This was not abnormal. Her older brother Zak opened the door and pulled her into a hug so tight, she let out a squeal of protest.

"Baby sister!" He proclaimed. He proceeded to hug Cayla and Trixie just as hard.

Her half-brother Roy heard those words and hurried to join them. He hugged her only slightly gentler. Then he took Cayla's hand and kissed it. "G'day, Cayla," he greeted her.

"Roy," Cayla said with a smile. She had always been easily charmed by Saraya's insane big brothers. Most people were.

"And is that my little niece? So _grown_!" Roy declared. He extended his arms for Trixie, who happily walked into them.

When they finally stepped inside, Saraya spotted her father sitting on the couch drinking something she suspected was alcoholic and looking like he hardly knew where he was. Perhaps that was for the best, given the circumstances.

"Is that my dear Saraya? Come here, luv, come here!" He called.

Saraya immediately went to her father. "Hullo, Dad," she said, kissing his cheek.

"And my little granddaughter? Come, me duckling!"

Trixie ran into his arms. "Grandpa!" She cried out. She hugged him tightly like she was still a little girl. She sniffled and tried not to cry.

"Now, no tears, Pet. You're home now. There will be no crying, do ya hear? You're too beautiful for tears, me duck."

"Why do you call me a duck, anyway?" Trixie asked with a laugh. "It always seems so silly."

"I'm British, luv. That's a term of endearment around here." He looked up at Cayla. "And _you,_ dearest daughter! Come over here and give me a hug!"

Cayla hugged him and said, "It's been a long time, Ian. We've missed you."

"I missed you, too, my luvs." He sighed. "We _both_ did." He took another sip of his drink, then pulled Saraya into his arms and said, "Someone, play something festive! I want to dance with me girl!"

Sure enough, music began to play. It was upbeat and cheerful and totally inappropriate, much like Saraya's family. That's what made it perfect. Saraya laughed as her father proceeded to dance her around the living room.

When the song ended, he asked, "So, who wants drinks? Is the little duck old enough for alcohol yet? Ah, who cares? It's a party!"

"A party?" Trixie asked Saraya.

It was Saraya's father who answered with, "Your grandmum, bless her, always said when she passed, she wanted a party thrown in her honor. She was against the idea of a funeral. She didn't want us to be depressed or to sit around mourning her loss. She wanted us to have fun and celebrate her life, and that's what we're doing here. For the next few days, this house will have a bigger party than an American fraternity house!"

Trixie and Saraya both laughed at that. "Great! We'd best have a grand old time then, eh?" Saraya asked.

"Or she'll haunt us," Zak chimed in. He took Saraya's hands and started dancing with her. Roy raised the music before taking Cayla's hand and guiding her to dance as well. Trixie was kidnapped by Saraya's father, whose dancing was even wilder than that of his sons.

Saraya tried to relax as they danced. It wasn't hard. There was good music, alcohol, and she was surrounded by her family. The only thing missing was the most important… Her mum.

 _Don't you be all sad, Missy!_ She could hear her mother scolding her. If she were standing there, she'd be saying just that. _This is a party, and you're going to have fun, do you hear?_

 _Yes, Mum,_ Saraya thought. She tried to force herself to do exactly that.

 _ **CORRI**_

Randy was doing significantly better by the time she left him. She'd texted the person she needed to talk to shortly before, and was now waiting for her to arrive.

"What's going on?" Danielle asked as she hurried in and sat down beside Corri. "Is it Danny? Did he do something else? I'm sorry. He's a good kid, really, he just-"

"Relax, Dani. This isn't about your son… At least not exactly." Corri hesitated. Did she _really_ have a right to ask this? She liked Danielle well enough. She was talented and Corri believed she'd gotten screwed by Creative, but they weren't overly close, and this… This was _very_ personal.

"Okay… I'm listening," Danielle said nervously.

"Danielle, I need you to tell me something honestly… And it's going to be awkward."

"Just ask what you want to know, Corri. Stalling doesn't suit you."

"Fair enough. I need to talk to you about the night your son was conceived."

Danielle stiffened. "What _about_ it?"

"What happened? I mean, come on. You're _you_ , and his father is _not_ someone you'd ever go for. So how did Danny happen?"

"Alcohol." Danielle stood. "Are we done here?"

"No… I'm sorry, Dani, but we're _not_ done. Please. This is important."

"I don't remember anything, alright? I was plastered."

"Then how did you know Danny was Harper's kid?"

"I…" Danielle hesitated. "I remember running into him in the bar, and the DNA test confirmed it when I sued for child support."

"Danielle… Are you _sure_ you slept with him by choice?"

"That's it. I'm done talking about this, alright?" She grabbed her purse and was about to stand to leave, but Corri grabbed her arm.

"Dani, _please_. Harper did something a long time ago. He hurt someone. He hurt a _kid_. And if I don't find someone to speak up about his character, he's going to get away with it. He'll keep living his life. He won't face punishment, and she'll have to see him every time she comes to work."

Danielle's face fell. "You don't play fair."

"I'm sorry. I need your help."

Danielle sighed. "I was drinking. I'd had a bad night, and he showed up to the bar… He sat beside me, and I ignored him, because he was _Luke Harper_. I mean, the guy creeped me out, to be honest. My phone rang, and I answered it, and I guess… I stopped paying attention. I finished my drink, and I went to go back to my room, and… I blacked out."

"He _drugged_ you?"

"I… I think he did, yeah. I woke up, and I was in a bed, and I was so confused… I was… I was naked, and I couldn't remember how I'd gotten that way. I saw him and I felt what he was doing to me, and I tried to put a stop to it, because… Because I'd _never_ have slept with him… But he was drunk, too, and he just ignored me and kept going… I was too drunk to fight him off. I blacked out again when I tried, and when I woke up, he was gone. I was alone." She stared at the table.

"Danielle, I'm so sorry…"

"I figured I imagined it, or it was a bad decision on my part or something… I made excuses for him not stopping… And I just wrote it off. But then I started to feel sick, and I went to the hospital, and… And I was pregnant. At first, I was horrified. I wanted _it_ out of me, because yeah, all I could think was Harper had put some _creature_ inside of me and I _couldn't_ let it stay there… But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that this _thing_ in me hadn't _asked_ to be born, and he was just as screwed as I was… So I decided to have him, because he was a baby, not a creature, and he deserved a chance…"

"That's… Wow. I wouldn't have made that choice," Corri admitted. "Not under those circumstances."

"I liked kids… I wanted one _someday_ , and I was afraid if I didn't have him, I'd never get another chance… Having Danny basically ended my career. I never did more than valet after that. I couldn't work while I was pregnant, so I did the only thing I could and I sued Harper for child support. I had literally _nothing_ while I was pregnant. Your sister… She took me in for a while. She felt sorry for me, so she started booking hotel rooms for me, and when I stopped touring completely, she let me move into her old place. She didn't need it anymore with her and Saraya married, so she let me have it. She covered my bills until I had Danny, and then I had the DNA test run and proved he was Harper's, and that was that."

"Jesus, Danielle… No wonder you're so fucked up in the head."

"No offense, right?" Danielle laughed sadly. "It's okay. It's true. And I know I messed up a lot, but I tried… I tried so damn hard with Danny. I got really depressed. I tried to kill myself a few times… I would refuse to get out of bed, and as Danny got a little older, he took care of me. I was a terrible mother to him when the depression was bad, but I always snapped out of it eventually. I love him, Corri. He's my world. And I couldn't tell anyone what his father had done, because then I wouldn't have anyone to help pay for Danny's expenses. I was working, but only as a manager and valet, and I didn't make a lot from that. I needed him… I hated it, but it was true. And I didn't want Danny thinking his father raped his mother…" She hesitated. "I never said that out loud, but I guess he did. I thought it was my fault because I was so drunk… I didn't tell anyone… Oh God… He still had a job and he went after a kid because of me!"

"Dani, no! This isn't your fault. Harper's a fucking rapist. He would have done it again no matter where he was."

"Who did he hurt? It wasn't Trixie or Molly, was it?"

"No… It was someone else."

"I'm so sorry… He's a monster, and I kind of knew, but… I convinced myself I was wrong."

"It's okay, Danielle, but I need you to do something now. Because now you _can_. You're the only one who might be able to help me get him fired."

Danielle sighed, then nodded. "Okay. If I can help, I will."

"Thank you."

"But Danny… I never wanted him to know. He's going to be so upset."

"He'll be okay. Your son's a tough kid."

"I love him, Corri. No matter how he was conceived."

"I know you do." Corri took Danielle's hands in her own. "You can do this, Dani. You can make sure he pays for what he did to you."

"We can't have him arrested, _can_ we?"

"No, probably not. The statute of limitations is _way_ up on this… But Paul can fire him."

"Which, to him, might be _worse_ than jail." Danielle nodded. "Good. I'll do it. I'll do anything I can."

Corri hoped this would be enough to make sure that Harper paid _some_ kind of price for what he'd done. The bastard deserved it, and if she had it her way, he'd face death for his crimes.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN**

 _ **NICKY**_

As a raging headache invaded his brain, Nicky realized he couldn't remember the night before. He looked around his room and saw that Keith was watching him with a frown.

"Late night?" Keith asked.

"I went out with a few of the guys," Nicky said. That was true. He'd gone out with Cena, Batista, and Jericho. They'd been in great spirits. It had quickly turned into a party. Once Chris offered to pay the tab, it became an open bar, and no one had bothered to card Nicky. Everything after that was a bit of a blur.

"Which guys?" Keith asked.

"You're not Dad, Keith. Stop checking up on me."

"You stumbled into this room at four in the morning giggling like a complete idiot. I'm not Dad, but I'm worried. If you'd prefer, I could call him."

Nicky panicked. "No!" He said too quickly. He paused. "I messed up, Keith, okay? I had a few drinks. It's not a big deal."

"You're only eighteen, Nicky. It's a _very_ big deal."

" _You_ got drunk at my age."

"No, actually, I didn't. I'd stop at one or two drinks. I never had to be escorted to my hotel room by the people I was with. And it wasn't even one of the guys. It was a _Bella_! Mom would _kill_ you!"

"Wait, what?"

"Nikki Bella dragged your drunk ass back here. She was giggling, too, and she was all over you. I hope you've had your shots, Nick. And all she said was you might need to sleep it off."

"Whatever. She was with John. She probably just saw how drunk I was and wanted to help."

"She practically molested you in front of me! I think she was doing it to piss off our parents. You can't trust her, Nicky."

"You're overreacting." He rolled back over and pulled the covers over his head. Tne light was hurting his eyes.

Nicky nearly cried out in pain when Keith pulled the cover off of his head. "Not a chance, Nicky," he said. "Get your ass out of bed."

"Leave me _alone_ , Keith!"

"Listen, your drunk ass slept through the text, but Alanna's in town. She flew here for a surprise visit, so you'd better get your shit together."

Nicky groaned. "I feel like hell."

"That's what happens when you drink yourself stupid." Keith hesitated, then softened. "Look, baby bro, we all fuck up sometimes... Just learn from it. Remember how this feels. Don't do this again." He produced a cup of coffee.

Nicky drank it gratefully. Keith then said, "Get in the shower. She'll be here in twenty minutes."

Nicky nodded and headed toward the bathroom. He had to get himself functional.

When he finally left the bathroom, his older sister was waiting for him. " _There's_ my Squish-Face!" Alanna proclaimed before flinging her arms aroundhim.

"You know, I'm not a chubby six-year-old anymore," Nicky pointed out. "You need to retire that nickname."

"Bite your tongue! You'll _always_ be my squishy-faced baby brother!"

Nicky relaxed in her embrace. Alanna's cheerful attitude had always been infectious. She finally released him. "Dad doesn't know I'm here," she said. "I wanted to surprise him." Ever since she'd turned eighteen, Alanna had been surprising their father by showing up unannounced. Her mother, Sam, had kept her away from their father as much as possible when she was a kid, so once she could legally choose for herself, she made sure to visit much more frequently.

"Let's get breakfast. I'm starving," Keith said. "We can find Dad after."

He opened the door to reveal someone standing on the other side. "Oh..." The girl said. "I was coming to see if you wanted to get something to eat, but-" She glared at Alanna.

"Claire!" Keith said with surprise. "That's sweet, but I just made plans-"

"Who's this?" Alanna asked with an amused grin.

"Claire's a Diva on NXT," Keith explained.

Alanna walked over to her. "Why don't you come with us? We were just going to get some breakfast. Any _friend_ of Keith's is a friend of mine... Or are you his girlfriend?"

"I-" Claire seemed lost for words and very jealous. As far as Nicky knew, she wasn't Keith's girlfriend, but it seemed like she _wanted_ to be.

"Ugh! Seriously, Alanna, _stop_!" Keith said with embarrassment. "Claire, this is my sister. Don't mind her."

Claire visibly relaxed at the word _sister_. "Oh! Oh, _hi_!" She said. "I didn't know you were in town."

"It's a surprise. So, how about breakfast?" Alanna asked again.

"I don't think she wants to be stuck in the middle of the Orton siblings," Keith said quickly.

"Oh, come _on,_ Keithy! I can tell there's something between the two of you," Alanna said. "So I should get to know her."

"I'd be honored," Claire said.

Alanna grinned. "See? She'd be _honored_! That settles it!" Alanna practically dragged them all out of the room. Nicky was just grateful the attention was no longer on him.

 _ **MOLLY**_

The hotel restaurant was apparently the place to be that morning. Molly spotted Keith and Nicky walking in right before her. She recognized Alanna immediately, but was surprised to see Claire with them. The girl was clinging to Keith's arm like a parasite, laughing and clearly trying _way_ too hard to charm the trio of Ortons.

 _Ugh,_ she thought. She was about to walk back out when Nicky called, "Hey, Molly!"

Molly took a deep breath and walked over to them. "Molly!" Alanna squealed. She hugged her in a way that could only be rivaled by Trixie before saying, "It's great to see you."

"You, too," Molly said. She looked at Claire sharply. "Hi, Claire. Long way from NXT, aren't you?"

"Oh, you know, I'm here to-" Claire began, but Molly cut her off.

"Job? Right, I remember now." She laughed. "I didn't know you knew the Ortons."

"Keith and I bonded over working out, and he very sweetly bought me lunch. I was going to return the favor with breakfast, but his sister beat me to it."

 _Yeah, I'm_ sure _breakfast was all you were offering,_ Molly thought. "Can I talk to you for a second?" Molly asked sweetly.

"Sure," Claire said uncertainly. "Be right back, Keith."

Molly pulled her aside. When they were alone, she said, "I don't know what game you're playing, but if you hurt Keith, I _will_ destroy you."

"I'm not playing games. I _like_ him, and he has no issue with me," Claire protested. "So stay out of it and mind your own business."

Molly pinned her against the wall with very little effort. "Those boys _are_ my business. They're my family. And if you hurt either of them, you deal with _me_. Understood?"

Claire glared at her. "Fine."

"Good. Now go play nice."

Claire and Molly walked back like nothing had happened. Claire kept slightly more distance between herself and Keith after that. Molly couldn't help but feel satisfied at that. She sat next to Nicky, leaning her head on his shoulder, and noticed he relaxed.

 _ **SARAYA**_

At first, when she woke up and realized she was back home, Saraya thought, _I can't wait to visit my old haunts! I need to take Cay to that pub down the street, and Trixie needs to go to Mum's favorite store. They'll have fun-_

And then it hit her all over again. Her mum was dead and couldn't take Trixie anywhere anymore.

Saraya tried to fight back the tears forming in her eyes, but she couldn't. This wasn't home anymore, not without her mum.

Cayla rolled over instinctively and pulled Saraya into her arms. It helped, but it wasn't enough. Saraya needed her mum, and she was gone.

It took her over an hour to calm down enough to head downstairs. She forced herself to put on a brave face. Her family needed her to be strong now. She could do this.

 _No you can't,_ a voice taunted her.

 _Fuck off,_ Saraya thought. She decided this particular little voice was one she needed to stop listening to.

She began to listen to a different voice instead; her mum's. _That's my girl! Don't take that voice's crap! Kick its ass! You can do this, and you_ will _! You're my daughter and that makes you strong!_

Was it mad to hear your dead mother's voice? Maybe, but Saraya had never quite been sane. She took comfort in the familiar sound and prayed it never faded away.

 _ **RANDY**_

He'd finally fallen asleep. The dream that came was not a flashback, but something much more terrifying.

 _His father stood in front of him. "Come here, Boy!" He called._

 _Randy froze._ This isn't real, _he thought. His father reached toward him and grabbed his arm. His grip was firm._

 _"Of_ course _I'm real, Randall," he said with a cruel laugh._

 _Randy jerked his arm away. "You're dead," he said. He was trying very hard to remain calm. Hyperventilating would accomplish nothing._

 _"Oh, come now, Boy! Evil_ never _dies! I'm very much alive."_

 _"No... You're dead. I_ know _you are." If he repeated the words enough time, he'd snap out of this nightmare. It_ had _to be a nightmare._

 _"No one can save you from me, Boy. No one cares. There's nothing you can do about it." His father unbuckled his belt and pulled it off. He raised it in the air and tried to hit Randy with it. Randy caught it, but his father jerked it away and tried again. This time, it connected. "You've been a very bad boy, Randall. You need to be punished." He hit him again, and again, and for some reason, Randy couldn't get away._

 _Randy finally curled up in a ball on the ground to try to catch his breath between sobs._

"Randy!" _Someone called._ "Randy, baby, wake up! Wake _up_!"

Corri, _he thought._ Corri's here...

 _His father hit him one more time before unzipping his pants. "You know what comes next, Boy!"_

"No!" _Randy screamed._ "Stop it! Leave me alone, you son of a bitch!"

 _He hit him and shoved him onto his knees. Randy's sobs grew worse. He couldn't fight the hyperventilating now._

 _"You'll_ never _be free of me, Boy," his father taunted him. Then he pulled Randy's pants down, even as Randy tried to fight him off._

"Randy!" _The voice screamed again._ Corri was calling him, and he could hear something else in her voice... _Corri was crying._

With the small amount of fight he had left in him, Randy forced himself to wake up. He still couldn't breathe. He was on the floor. The blankets and sheets and pillows were scattered around like a tornado had come through. Corri knelt nearby, but she wasn't touching him.

She realized he was awake. "Fuck, Randy," she whispered. "I... I've _never_ seen you this bad. What happened?" She hesitantly crawled toward him. When he didn't pull away, she pulled him into her arms.

 _Just a dream,_ he told himself. _That's all it was, just a stupid nightmare... You're safe._

Randy still couldn't calm down. He buried his face in Corri's shoulder and sobbed. He couldn't catch his breath no matter how hard he tried. With every breath, he pulled Corri closer to him, until he couldn't think of anything but how he felt in her arms, how she smelled, and the sound of her heartbeat.

Finally, he was able to breath slowly along with the rhythm of her heart, which was also slowing down as her own panic subsided.

"Baby, talk to me," Corri whispered.

"I'm sorry," he managed to say.

"Don't you dare apologize... Randy, I have never seen you so scared... You scared _me_. I tried to hold you to comfort you and you screamed harder and started fighting for dear life. What did you remember?"

"It wasn't a memory... It was like he was actually attacking me right now."

Corri looked so worried, it broke him. "I'm sorry... I feel pathetic," he said.

"You are _anything_ but pathetic," Corri said. "But, just so we're clear, he can't hurt you anymore, Randy. The bastard's dead and gone."

"I know. I told him as much. He told me evil never dies."

"Wow. That cliche would give _me_ nightmares, too." She flashed a smile at him.

Randy actually laughed slightly. "I love you," he said.

"I love you, too." Corri paused. "Tell me the rest. You need to talk."

"I suck at talking."

"It's me or you go back into therapy, Sexy. I know you didn't enjoy that, but you need help. I love you, and you're hurting, and I won't leave you suffering constantly with no relief."

He sighed. "He beat the crap out of me. I tried to stop him, but I only blocked one hit... And then he..." He looked away. "I can't."

"You can tell me anything, Randy. You know that. I will _never_ judge you."

He felt fresh tears in his eyes as he whispered, "He tried to rape me... And he would have, if you hadn't started crying. That's what got through to me; not my own fear and pain, but yours."

"God, Randy..." She hugged him tighter and wiped his tears away with a kiss to each of his cheeks. Then she casually said, "Next time, RKO him. He won't come back from that."

He laughed, harder this time than before. "I wish I'd thought of that."

"That's why I'm here."

He sighed. "I know what I need to do. I can't keep living like this."

"Name it and if I can help, I will."

"Get me my phone please?" She handed it to him. He dialed a number.

"What's up, Randy?" Paul answered it.

"Paul, I need a couple of days off..." Randy began.

"Now isn't a good time. We're heading toward a big pay-per-view, and-"

"I need to go home, Paul. I'm not sleeping anymore, and when I do... It's bad. I... I need to see it. I need to see his grave. I need to convince my subconscious of what my brain already knows, that my father is dead and gone."

Paul hesitated for only a moment. "Take all the time you need, Kid."

"Thank you."

"Don't worry about it. Do what you need to do." He paused. "Do you need anything, Randy? Anything at all? Do you want to talk to someone?"

"I think I'll be okay. I just need to do this."

"Okay. I'm here, Kid. Anytime you need anything."

"Thanks, Paul. I know you are, and that means a lot." He hung up.

"When do we leave?" Corri asked.

"You don't have to come-" Randy began.

"You're joking, right? You need me. I'll be there every step of the way."

He stared at her in awe. "I'm so lucky I have you," he said. "I love you, Corri. You make me strong."

"You were _already_ strong. I just remind you when you forget." She kissed him.

There was a knock at the door. Randy pulled on a t-shirt over the pants he'd slept in and opened it. He was surprised by the face that greeted him.

"Daddy!" Alanna cried out. She flung her arms around his neck like she was still a little girl, and Randy immediately shook off the last of his issues. He never showed that side to his kids, especially not Alanna.

"Baby, what are you doing here?" Randy asked.

"Surprising you!" Alanna looked at the mess of sheets and pillows and laughed. "Fun night?" She asked with a suggestive grin.

Corri saved him from having to answer by saying, "Come here, you little monster!" She pulled Alanna into her arms. "I missed you, Kid."

"Missed you, too, Corri," Alanna said. "I just came from breakfast with the boys and Molly and Keithy's new _girlfriend_."

This was news to both Corri and Randy. "What girlfriend?" Corri asked.

"Claire from NXT," Alanna said.

"Over my dead body!" Corri proclaimed. "That girl has talent, but if she's after Keith, she clearly just wants to get by in this business on her back like the Bellas! No way I'm letting Keith date that little skank."

"I don't think we get a say," Alanna said. "She seemed determined to make me and Nicky like her. Molly hates her, though."

"Randy, talk to him."

Randy laughed. "That won't help," he said.

"You know what girls like that are like. She's using him."

"Look, I had a No Divas rule once, but if I'd listened to it, Keith and Nicky wouldn't exist. I can talk to him, but I learned this lesson the hard way, and it nearly kept me from _you_ , Corri. He might just have to learn this one on his own, and who knows? Maybe she'll surprise us."

"By giving our son an STD before she breaks his heart?"

Randy kissed her. She stopped. "Fine. We'll give her a chance. But if she hurts him-" Corri began.

"I'm positive Molly already threatened her existence," Alanna said cheerfully.

"If she hurts him, we'll unleash Molly!" Corri said with satisfaction.

Randy pulled his wife and daughter into his arms. He felt significantly better. "Come on," he said. "Let's go spend some time together." He looked at Alanna and added, "I'm really glad you're here, honey."

His world made more sense with his two favorite girls by his side. He only hoped his demons would be kept away for a bit.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

 _ **RANDY**_

Randy had spent the previous day with Alanna. Once he told her he needed to go to his father's grave, she'd insisted on coming along. Now, she sat beside him on the plane, with Corri on his other side. "You don't have to do this, Baby," he told her again.

"Dad, I _told_ you, you need me. Besides, I've gone before," Alanna replied.

"You have?"

"Yeah. At the funeral, and once after... To spit on his grave."

Corri burst out laughing. "That's my girl!" She said.

"But... Why? He was your grandfather. When you were little, you loved him," Randy said.

"And then Mom stopped letting me see him, and him and Grandma got divorced, and I did the math... And when I asked Mom why, she told me what he did to you," Alanna explained.

"She _told_ you?!" Randy was horrified. The boys didn't know, and he'd assumed Alanna didn't, either.

"Yeah. So when he died, I went back to the grave alone, and I spit on it. I think that should be reinforced every few years, a fresh loogie right on the dirt he lays in. That's about all he's worth."

Randy was stunned. He didn't know what to say. Finally, he said, "I never wanted you to know... I didn't want to taint your memories of him."

"My memories were a lie. That's not who he really was. Now I know the truth."

"I never wanted you to see that side of me, the _weak_ side."

"Dad..." Alanna took his hand in hers. "You could _never_ be weak. You're Randy Orton, the Viper, the Legend Killer, and most of all, _my dad_. You're the strongest man I know, and the fact that you survived all of that just makes you even _stronger_. I love you, and if you ever call yourself weak again, I'll RKO you _myself_!"

He was torn between wanting to smile and wanting to cry. He went with smiling. "I love you, Alanna. I'm so proud to be your father."

The plane landed and the personal talk ended. They headed to his mother's house, where she greeted them with hugs and food. Randy barely ate, unable to focus on anything but heading to the cemetery and facing his demons. An hour later, that's exactly what he did.

It was strange, seeing his father's name on the headstone. The last time he'd been here had been for the funeral, and the headstone hadn't even been placed yet. He stared at it. Alanna and Corri gave him some distance as he knelt beside the grave. He half expected hands to come up and grab him.

He touched the headstone, tracing his father's name and the dates engraved upon it. Finally, he registered it was real. His monster was dead. He couldn't hurt him anymore. He stood, feeling nothing, but the weight that had been crushing him was gone.

"Loogie time?" Alanna asked.

Randy could have spit on the grave. He could have kicked the headstone or cursed at it or told his father off. Instead, he whispered, "You're insignificant and have no power over me anymore." He looked at his daughter and said, "He isn't worth the effort or energy, Honey."

Alanna nodded and didn't argue. "Are you okay?" Corri asked.

"Yes," Randy said honestly.

"I'm proud of you."

He took her arm in his and held her close as they walked. Alanna took his other arm and Randy knew he was finally free from his demons.

 _ **SARAYA**_

She couldn't believe it was time to go. This was the last day she'd be here with her father and brothers, and then it was over. Her mum hadn't come back. It wasn't just a dream. As the truth sank in, Saraya sobbed in Cayla's arms.

This cry was different than the others. Her mum wasn't in her head telling her to knock it off. Instead, she was finally allowing herself to feel every impossible emotion this event had brought up. She cried until she had no tears left, and then she began laughing.

"Saraya?" Cayla asked in confusion.

"I'm good, Cay," Saraya said through her laughter.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." She hugged her wife. "I needed that. Now pour me a shot so I can head off the right way."

"Here, here!" Zak declared, looking in on them.

Roy was alreading pouring the shot. Seeing the impressed look on Cayla's face, Saraya laughed and explained, "Brits can manifest booze, Luv. It's one of our genetic superpowers!"

Now Cayla was laughing, too. Roy poured her a shot, too. Together, the four toasted their beloved matriarch. Saraya was still sad, but she no longer felt numb or hopeless. It would be difficult, but life would go on because that's what her mum would have wanted.

 _I love you, Mum,_ she thought. _Now I'm headed back to the States to kick some arse!_

She swore she heard her mum say, _That's my girl!_ It brought a smile to her face as she downed the shot in her honor.

 _ **NICKY**_

He'd gotten up early to train with Molly. She didn't go easy on him, and Nicky liked that. Molly never treated him like he couldn't handle whatever she could dish out. Now, they were both starving, so they headed to a local restaurant.

Keith was there with Claire. Molly rolled her eyes as Keith and Claire laughed. Keith tucked a loose strand of Claire's hair behind her ear. She flirted so hard Nicky wondered if she'd pull a muscle.

"Ugh," Molly said. "I have no idea what the fuck he sees in her."

"She's _here_ ," Nicky replied. "My brother's lonely."

"She's fake as hell, can't wrestle, and her voice is like a gerbil with a sinus infection."

Nicky laughed hard at that. "Okay, it _is_ kind of squeaky and high-pitched at points."

"She's gonna give Keith her sick gerbil germs..." Molly looked upset. Nicky followed her gaze and saw Keith and Claire kissing.

It registered with him then. Molly was _jealous_. That stung more than it should have. Considering they'd slept together, Nicky had hoped Molly might have feelings for _him,_ but it seemed she was more interested in his older brother.

Suddenly, Nicky _really_ needed a drink.

"Are you okay?" Molly asked him.

"Yeah," Nicky said quickly.

"I see watching them grosses you out, too."

"Right." He couldn't tell her the truth. Molly was not the type to do relationships. If he got too clingy, he might push her away. He'd rather have her as a friend than not at all. She was too important to him.

 _So be better,_ he thought. _Be more impressive than Keith. Step out of his shadow for once in your pathetic life and get the girl!_

He decided that was exactly what he was going to do. Molly was worth the fight.

A woman approached them. She smiled at them too brightly as she said, "Oh, Molly! It's so good to see you! And look at you, with this handsome young man! You look good on the arm of an Orton."

Nicky was glad someone else thought so, but he kept quiet as he watched Molly react to the woman.

Molly blinked at her. "Um... Have we met?" Molly asked.

"You don't recognize me?" The woman sounded hurt. "Well, I suppose it _has_ been a while... It's me, Baby. Your _mother_."

 _ **MOLLY**_

Molly stared at the woman standing in front of her. She had long brown curls and dark eyes, and Molly _didn't_ recognize her. She hadn't seen the bitch since she was four, so that was perfectly understandable.

"You've got the wrong girl, Lady," Molly said coldly. "I don't _have_ a mother."

"What did your father tell you about me? It's all lies, Molly! I missed you."

" _Missed_ me? That's hilarious. You dropped me off like a used doll you got bored with and never looked back."

"Baby, I can explain. I was in a bad way, a single mom who couldn't afford to take care of you-"

"You were a trust fund kid, so don't even."

She stared at Molly. "What?"

"I remember your parents. I remember how much money you had. I remember how much you hated being stuck with a kid."

"That's not true-"

"I was _four,_ not an infant. So try to sell that to someone else."

"Look, I made a mistake... But I'm here now, Baby."

"Don't call me that. My _name_ is Molly. You should know. That's the only thing you ever gave to me, Egg Donar. I have _one_ parent; my sire."

"Molly, please hear me out... I'm so proud of you."

"I could give two fucks, Lady."

"You've grown up so beautiful... You're dating an Orton."

"Nicky?" Molly laughed. "Nicky's one of my best friends, but I don't date, and even if I _did,_ it wouldn't be because of his last name." She paused. "So why are you here?"

"I want to get to know you."

"That ship sailed and sank already, and _Jaws_ ate the survivors. Why now, anyway?" And suddenly, it clicked. "Right. Because I'm famous now, so I suddenly matter, right?"

"Molly-"

"Fuck off! You have no part in my life!"

People were staring. Nicky protectively held her arm. Keith must have walked away from Claire, because he joined them now.

"Molly? Everything okay?" He asked in a tone that said he'd get rid of this bitch if Molly just said the word.

Molly was too upset to speak. How _dare_ this bitch come back into her life now? Did she expect Molly to hug her? Was she hoping for some fuzzy, sappy reunion? Or did she want to be like the mother of the Bella twins, gaining fame through her child?

"Hi," the bitch said to Keith. She appeared to be flirting. Molly felt sick as she added, "I'm Molly's mother."

Keith immediately got closer to Molly. He might have spoken, but someone else did instead. "Kelly? Wow, you aged like shit." Molly tried to calm down. Her Sire had arrived.

The bitch's pleasant facade faded as she growled out, "It's _Katie_! For God's sake, what is so hard to remember about that?"

Dean replied casually with, "Well, you visit so infrequently, it's easy to forget." He pulled Molly into his arms. "What are you doing here, _Kitty_?" This time, it was deliberate.

"I just wanted to see my daughter-"

"You don't _have_ a daughter. _I_ do."

"Dean, you can't just keep me from her!"

"Really? You abandoned her. The courts granted _me_ sole custody. You have no legal right to see her."

"She is an adult!"

"And as an adult, _she_ is telling you to fuck off!" Molly screamed.

One of the guys from WWE Security came over at the sound of the yelling. "What's going on here?" He asked.

Molly glared at the woman who'd dared to call herself her mother. "Get her out of here! She's nothing but a deranged ring rat," she said. "She has no right to be here."

Dean nodded. The security guard called the restsurant owner over and together, they escourted her out. "Are you okay, Mol?" Nicky asked.

"Fine," Molly mumbled. She looked at Dean and said, "Thank you, Sire." Then she freed herself from his arms and ran away from that place and everyone in it as fast as she could.


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

 _ **MOLLY**_

She'd gotten in a rental and driven. She didn't know where she was going, only that she _had_ to go. She couldn't explain what she was feeling, but she didn't like it. Nearly three and a half hours later, she parked and got out of the car.

She knocked on the door. A familiar face appeared. "Molly?" Danny Havoc asked. "Are you okay?"

"I need to hit shit," Molly said. "Hard. Harder than they'll let me."

Danny hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Welcome home," he said, allowing her inside the CZW Dojo.

Danny was right. _This_ was her home. Molly had spent her life on the road with her father. CZW was the only place she had settled down for any extended period of time. The experiences she had there were ones she wouldn't trade for anything in the world.

In spite of the fact that Dean hated Danny Havoc, Molly was close to him. "Don't go easy on me," she told him.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Molly," Danny said with a grin.

Danny kept his word. As soon as she made a move, he countered it and hit her with everything he had. Danny was famous for bloody, hardcore matches. Since figuring out she could handle it, he never held back on Molly. This training session was no different. It was like no time had passed. He pulled out chairs and tables and Molly felt the familiar rush of using these props to train. Danny hit her hard with the chair. She thanked him by doing a hurricanrana to put him through the table. In the end, he stayed down for a minute and she felt much better. She collapsed beside him on the mat, breathless.

"Thanks," she said.

"Anytime," Danny replied.

"Wanna go again?"

He grinned. "Definitely."

They wrestled again as the CZW students and trainers stopped to watch them. Drew Gulak started explaining the moves to the students as Molly and Danny hit them. This time, Molly went at Danny even harder. Danny responded in kind, hitting her with move after move, not stopping to let her catch her breath. He smashed her back against the ringpost. Molly could feel him getting ready to hit her side and she dodged it, but the second time he tried, he hit her hard. Molly doubled over before recovering and kicking his legs out from under him. She put some distance between them and clutched her side. Danny got up quicker than she expected and pulled her down by her head. She landed it badly and started seeing stars.

Danny pulled back. "Sloppy, Young Moxley. You can do better," he said. Gentler and quietly enough that the students couldn't hear him, he added, "Are you okay?"

Molly nodded. She was sore, but it was a good sort of pain. This was the kind of training she yearned for. A hand reached for her, but it wasn't Danny.

"Good to see you back, Kid," Drew said. "Now take a break before you hurt yourself."

She knew better than to argue with Drew. He'd had a huge hand in training het. She nodded and sat down on the sidelines watching the CZW students train. "Is Sami around?" She asked Danny as he checked her head to make sure she was okay.

"He's off today," Danny replied. "He's with Jess."

She nodded. Sami Callihan (or Johnstone, no relation to that skank Claire) was her father's best friend outside of Joe, Colby, and Corri. He'd briefly worked for WWE under Solomon Crowe, but he hever made it past NXT and had wisely chosen to go back home to CZW before Molly was even born. He was huge on the indies and had once been her father's tag partner in Switchblade Conspiracy long before Jon Moxley ever became Dean Ambrose. He'd helped take care of Molly at CZW and was practically family, but she didn't want to worry him, so she was glad he wasn't there. She kind of hoped he'd come by with his wife later, though. Molly loved Jessicka Havok like an older sister. It might be good to see her again.

Molly rested her head on Danny's shoulder as the students trained. She remembered being part of the Academy, and eventually, the roster. Danny and his Nation of Intoxication brothers had taken Molly under their wing, a fact her father didn't need to know about. She got drunk with them, but never tried any drugs, no matter how much Conor Claxton insisted she'd love them. It was hard to tell how serious he was. Lucky Thirteen had told Conor to "back off the toddler" more than once, which she kicked him for. She might have been too young to drink at the time, but she was hardly a toddler. Devon Moore was especially good to her, teaching her new moves and making sure the CZW guys didn't cross any lines with her that she wasn't comfortable with. It was Danny, however, that she was closest to. He and her father had a fierce hatred for one another, but as long as Danny didn't call "Mox" a sell-out in front of her, they got along great.

Her father came from these people. This was her family, not that bitch who had abandoned her. Molly took comfort in this fact as she watched the students who were now where she had once been.

 _ **DEAN**_

Dean was starting to worry. Molly had been gone for a while now. He called the person he _always_ called for parenting advice. "What's up?" Corri answered on the third ring.

"Corr... The offspring's run off and I'm not sure if I should chase after her," Dean said.

"What happened?"

"Her mom showed up."

"Seriously? Fuck."

"Yeah."

"Okay, when did she leave?"

"Nine hours ago."

"And you haven't heard from her?"

"Nope... Do I worry?"

"She needs time, Dean... I'll see what I can do."

"But you're like a thousand miles away right now."

"Yeah, and? I know you're bad with technology, but this thing you're using to talk to me is called a _cell phone_ , and Molly has one, too." She paused. "I've got her, Dean. I get this. And if I can't help her, Cayla can. She went through this with our dad."

"I had her thrown out. Molly told them she was a random ring rat."

"Good. That bitch doesn't deserve anything from her."

"How's Randy?"

"Better. I appreciate you asking. I'll try to get ahold of Molly. I'll let you know what's up tomorrow, sooner if you need to know."

"Thanks Corr... I just... I think she needs you right now, not me."

"No problem." They hung up and Dean tried not to worry.

 _ **MOLLY**_

After spending several hours at CZW, Molly was finally feeling better. The Dojo always helped her focus. She hugged Danny. "I'm gonna head back," she said.

"Are you driving?" Danny asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"No way. You're exhausted, Molly. You can't be on the road like this. Come crash with me tonight and get some rest first."

She knew better than to argue with him. Molly allowed Danny to drive her back to his place. He insisted on feeding her before putting her to sleep in his bed.

"You can join me, you know... Wouldn't be the first time," Molly said with a smile.

Danny kissed her. "Not tonight, Mol," he said. "You need to rest."

Molly was slightly disappointed, but she knew he was right. She curled up into a ball and let exhaustion win.

 _ **DEAN**_

When he saw Molly's number on his caller ID, Dean relaxed. "You okay, Offspring?" He answered.

"She's fine," a voice replied. "Sleeping. I thought you might be worried, Mox."

Dean knew that voice. "What the fuck is my kid doing with you, Havoc?" He cursed at Danny.

"I just told you, she's _sleeping_."

"If you touched my kid-"

" _Alone,_ Mox. She's sleeping alone. I'm on my couch. Stop flipping and listen to me. She had a rough day, but she came to the Dojo and she's okay now. She was exhausted and I didn't think you'd appreciate her driving like that."

Dean took a deep breath. He hated Havoc, but he was helping Molly. The guy was trying to do the right thing. He shouldn't attack him over that.

"Right. Thanks, I guess." It hurt to say that to him. "I can come get her-"

"Let her rest. She can drive back in the morning. She's a strong kid, Mox. She'll be fine."

Dean reluctantly hung up. He would have preferred to hear from Molly directly, but Danny was right. She _was_ a strong kid. She'd work through this and be better for it. He tried to stop worrying, but it seemed parents never got to stop doing that. He settled for distracting himself with a karaoke bar and a couple of strong drinks.

 _ **MOLLY**_

When Molly woke up, she was no longer alone. A dark figure cloaked in shadows stood over the bed and someone else lay beside her. She was slightly concerned until the figure beside her shouted, "Hiya, Kiddo!" and flung his arms around her.

Jessicka Havok stepped out of the shadows and smiled down at her while Sami held her close. "You sleep like death, Kid," Jess informed her. "We've been here for a while."

Molly struggled out of Sami's death-grip so she could hug Jess. "I missed you guys!" She told them.

"We missed you, too, Molly," Sami said. "I heard shit went down yesterday. Is shit better today?"

"I think so," Molly said.

"So shit is less shitty? Good. Let's go make it even better. Me and Jess are kidnapping you today. Breakfast, joy riding, lunch, and _maybe_ we'll get you back to WWE on time." He and Jess had matching mischievous grins on their faces. Molly relaxed knowing everything was going to be fine now. Sami and Jess always made things better, and time spent with them was never dull. Her problems faded into the back of her mind as she wondered what they had in store for her.


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

 _ **TRIXIE**_

They'd landed back in the States late the night before, but Trixie wasn't much of a sleeper. Since she was up early, she decided to work out and then go get something to eat. She spotted Brandon at the restaurant.

"Hey!" He called, waving her over.

Trixie walked over to him. "Welcome back. How are you doing?" Brandon asked, pulling her into a warm, tight hug.

Trixie felt calm in his arms. Her body finally seemed to register that she was home. She allowed herself to linger there for an extra moment before pulling away and saying, "I'm okay, I guess. It was hard being there without my Grandmum, but I got to see everyone else, and that helped."

"Let me buy you breakfast."

"Oh, no, I couldn't-"

"Come on. You've had a hard week. The least I can do is feed you."

Trixie smiled at him. "Thanks, Brandon. Really."

"Anytime."

They ordered their food and made pleasant small talk. Trixie was really starting to enjoy hanging out with him. Everything seemed a little better when Brandon was around. When the conversation turned back to her family, Trixie started to feel a little overwhelmed.

"My mum is doing okay, but her dad... It's bad, Brandon. He put on a great show, but I know him. He's drinking his troubles away, but eventually, they'll start to swim," she said.

Brandon automatically reached across the table to hold her hands in his own. They were warm, strong hands and Trixie liked how they felt. She was so drawn to him, and just this simple touch was comforting.

"He'll be okay, Trixie," Brandon said gently. "He's a strong man. It's just going to take time."

She knew that was true. Her grandfather was the strongest man she knew. She nodded. Then she sent the conversation down a less depressing path. They talked for over an hour more before Brandon finally paid for their breakfast. He stood and helped Trixie to her feet. He stayed very close as they walked back toward her hotel.

Before leaving, Brandon hesitated. He leaned down and gave her a very shy, very sweet kiss on her lips before quickly pulling back. Then he stared at his feet while Trixie blushed.

 _Oh my God!_ Trixie thought. She'd kissed a couple of boys before and she'd even kissed Molly once out of curiosity, but she'd never felt... _that_. Whatever it was, she kind of wanted to feel it again.

"I'm sorry..." Brandon told his shoes. "I have awful timing. That was _totally_ inappropriate..."

 _What would Molly do?_ Trixie wondered. _Pull him into the room, strip him, and mount him. Yeah, maybe I shouldn't try to be Molly... It's kind of impossible to follow her lead when I'm still a virgin. Try again, Trixie..._

"I understand if you don't want to talk to me," Brandon said. He started to walk away, embarrassment plain on his face.

"No, wait!" Trixie said quickly. Then she did the craziest thing she'd ever done. She grabbed Brandon and pulled him back toward her, kissing him harder than she'd ever kissed anyone before. He was stunned for a moment, but soon he was kissing her back. She'd never felt anything quite so right before.

When she finally pulled away, she looked into his eyes shyly. "Does that mean you like me?" She asked playfully.

Brandon laughed. "Yeah... Yeah, I'd say that I do." He pulled her against him, and she was relieved. She liked feeling his warmth against her body. "And _you,_ Trixie?"

"Oh, you're alright, I guess," she teased him with a casual shrug. Brandon looked like he might pout until she laughed. "What does this make us, Brandon? I mean... How does this work?"

"Well, if you're interested... I mean, we could... You know..." He paused and shook his head. "I'm so lame. Let me try again. Trixie, would you like to go out with me?"

"I'd _really_ like that."

He smiled. "Then it's settled." He kissed her again and Trixie decided she could get used to that.

 _ **MOLLY**_

Sami and Jess had dragged her to every random, weird place between New Jersey and Boston, where WWE was currently set up. As it turned out, that amounted to a _lot_ of places. It had taken an entire extra day to make it there, and Molly was feeling much better.

"Thanks, guys," she said as they arrived at the hotel her father was staying at.

"For what?" Jess asked.

"Distracting me."

"No problem, Molly. It was fun," Sami said.

She spotted her father watching from nearby. He tried to hide the concern on his face, but she knew him too well. "I'm sorry, Sire," she said quickly. "I didn't mean to stress you out."

He hugged her tightly. "It's okay, Offspring," he said. "All that matters is that you're okay."

"I will be," Molly promised. "Going home helped. So did seeing these two goons."

"Mox!" Sami proclaimed. Molly moved aside so he could hug her father.

"Thanks for bringing her back to me," her father said.

"It was our pleasure," Jess replied.

"Stay for lunch?" Molly asked them.

"Food? You don't have to ask _me_ twice!" Sami said. Molly relaxed in the company of her _real_ family and tried to push her mother out of her mind completely.

 _ **NICKY**_

There were not enough hours in the day. Between work, traveling, training, parties he was expected to attend, and his schoolwork, Nicky didn't have any time to truly relax. In fact, he'd pretty much stopped sleeping entirely.

He downed some more coffee as he continued trying to work on a research paper for his psychology 101 class. The words were starting to blend together, their meanings lost in his head as he struggled to stay conscious.

A text message made him jump. He looked at it. _Training started ten minutes ago. Where the hell are you?_ It was Keith.

Nicky checked the time and cursed. He'd been up all night and lost track of time. It was after two already. He pulled on his sneakers and grabbed his gear bag before heading out of the hotel. He made it to the arena in record time and hurried to change into his workout clothes. The match booked for the night was him, Keith, and Lucas against the Shield. It was literally terrifying to think they were going to fight such legends, but that was why Colby had suggested a practice session.

"Nice of you to join us, Nicky," Keith said with an eyeroll.

"Sorry. I had a paper due and lost track of time," Nicky said.

"That's okay. School should come first," Colby said.

"Ah, fuck that," Dean argued. "You're a WWE Superstar. I'm sure they'll understand a late assignment or two."

"Don't be a bad influence," Joe warned. "Corri will kick your ass."

"My Offspring just returned from a slight nervous breakdown but _I'm_ here on time," Dean retorted. "Step it up, Nicky."

"Come on, guys. Let's get going on this," Keith said. Nicky could tell his brother was feeling the adrenaline already.

Things started off well enough. The Shield eased them into things. Then, Joe went for a Superman Punch on Keith, who hit him with an RKO instead. It was beautifully executed. Lucas hit Colby with the "Running Bo-Dog" his father was famous for. Nicky was left to face Dean. He climbed up onto the top rope and jumped into the air, but he got light-headed and instead of doing a phoenix splash onto Dean, he began falling down without any control, hitting his neck and head on the hardest part of the ring.

Nicky didn't move. He'd been hurt before, but this pain was worse than what he was used to. He was seeing stars.

Keith immediately ran to his side, followed very closely by Dean. "Shit, you okay, Kiddo?" Dean asked, his earlier annoyance replaced with fear.

Nicky wanted to reply, but the words had been knocked right out of him. "Colby, get a trainer!" Dean yelled.

Joe pulled Keith backward. "Don't touch him, Keith," he said calmly. It was obvious he was forcing himself to sound calm so Keith didn't panic. Someone needed to take charge, and it seemed natural that it would be Joe. "He hit his neck. It's dangerous to move him until we know he's okay."

"Nicky... Nick, come _on_ , Man... Talk to me," Keith begged.

Nicky looked at Keith. He took a deep breath. "Ouch," he said softly. "That really freaking hurt!"

Dean and Joe looked visibly relieved. "What happened, Nicky? You can do that move in your sleep," Keith said. He was unable to keep the concern out of his voice.

"I had a dizzy spell," Nicky said.

"When's the last time you got any sleep?" Lucas asked.

"Not last night," Nicky admitted.

Colby returned with a trainer and Paul. Nicky blushed in embarrassment. Together, the trainer, Paul, and Joe helped move Nicky carefully onto a stretcher.

"Guys, I'm _fine,_ " Nicky insisted.

"You hit your neck. We aren't taking any chances. You're getting an MRI," Paul said firmly.

"But the match tonight-"

"Gabe will sub in. Roman, you okay with beating up your cousin's kid?"

Joe laughed. "Sure, we can make that work," he said.

Nicky was depressed. Not only had he just lost his chance at an amazing match, but it was because he'd botched a move he'd perfected when he was fourteen. This wasn't fair.

 _That's what you get, Loser,_ he thought bitterly. _You had their respect and now they're going to treat you like the baby again._ He had to make sure he didn't screw up like this again. Somehow, he needed more energy so he could handle work, school, and everything in-between. He vowed to find a way to juggle it all, no matter what it took.


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

 _ **RANDY**_

They came home to find out Nicky was in the hospital. Corri nervously paced the waiting room while Randy tried not to assume the worst. Paul had left, and taken the Shield boys and Lucas with him, but Keith had stayed to wait for answers. Molly stood beside him trying to comfort him.

A nurse approached them and put a hand up to stop their questions. "He's fine," she said quickly. "He needs to stay out of the ring for a few days, but it could have been much worse."

"Thank God," Corri mumbled as she exhaled.

"A few things do concern us, though... He's physically exhausted. We gave him something to help him sleep, but he's very stressed. I believe he is pushing himself too hard. Also... Um... May I just speak to the family, please?"

"We're _all_ his family," Corri said firmly. "I'm his mother. Whatever you need to say, you can say to all of us."

"Very well... Nicky's blood alcohol levels were elevated. I know he's under twenty-one, so I thought you might want to know your son has been drinking."

Corri reacted first. "Impossible," she said firmly. "Nicky's straightedge. He doesn't drink."

Randy caught the guilty look that flashed across Molly's face. "What do you know, Molly?" He asked.

"Um... Well, he kind of _does_ drink... At least lately. I don't think he started until we debuted on the main roster, though," Molly admitted. "He got pretty plastered that night. I figured it was harmless, so I didn't say anything... I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Randy said quickly. "It wasn't your job to tell us."

Keith's face fell. "I... um... I sort of knew, too, but I thought it was a one-time thing," he said. "I mean, everyone drinks when they're eighteen..."

"It's not your fault," Corri said quickly. "I need some air." She walked away. Randy stayed long enough to make sure Nicky was taken care of before he went after her. He found her in the parking lot visibly shaken up, but she was on her phone, so he gave her space.

 _ **CORRI**_

As soon as she got outside, she pulled out her cell phone. Cayla picked up immediately. "What's wrong?" Cayla asked without preamble. Their twin bond had struck again.

"Nicky's in the hospital," Corri said. She quickly explained his injury before adding, "He's been drinking, Cay. Enough that the doctors found it in his blood."

"Corri-" Cayla tried to reply, but Corri wasn't done.

"This is my fault!" She cried out.

"Corri, no! You didn't cause this-"

"Yes I did! I got our dad's fucked up genes and passed them on to Nicky!"

"You don't know that's what's happening. He's eighteen. It was just alcohol, and he only just started drinking. You can make sure he doesn't get out of control."

"I started with just drinking, too, Cayla... And I turned into such an addict, I overdosed and nearly died in poor Baby Buck's arms. I fucked _everything_ up."

"And you got it together. You got help and you're not that person anymore."

"But I don't want Nicky to go through all of that."

"So don't let him. Be there for him and show him he doesn't have to go down that path. He'll be okay, Corri. He has a great support system."

Corri tried to take comfort in that, but she was still worried. It terrified her to see Nicky, her baby boy, the sweet, quiet one going down this path. If either of her sons seemed likely to be wild and out of control, it was Keith. She hadn't seen this coming.

When she hung up, she turned and spotted Randy. She ran to him, allowing him to wrap her in his arms. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"For what?" Randy asked.

"For passing on addict genes to our baby..." She started to cry, something she rarely did.

"Corri... Baby, you didn't cause this. It just happens. Besides, Nicky is young, and this is a new problem. We can stop it before it gets worse."

She wanted to believe him, but she had a sinking feeling Nicky might be much more like her than she thought. She tried not to panic as she rested her head against Randy's chest.

 _ **TRIXIE**_

Trixie saw Ginny standing with Gabe, who looked furious. She had never seen him look anything other than happy and laid-back, so this worried her. She walked over to them. Brandon was across the room, and he also headed that way.

"Trix! Brandon! Help me hide a body?" Gabe greeted them.

"Gabe, just let it go, please-" Ginny begged.

"No! He needs to _pay_ , Gin!"

"What's going on?" Brandon asked.

"What's going _on_ is Luke Harper is a rapist and he needs to die!" Gabe declared.

"Hold on, what?" Trixie asked.

Ginny sighed. "Harper's been fired. Gabe overheard Danielle telling his mother that she admitted he raped her to help get him fired because a kid had been attacked and couldn't prove it... And Gabe thinks getting fired is too good for him," she explained.

"Rape is literally the worst thing you can do to someone short of killing them and one of his victims was a kid! A _kid_! Can you imagine how fucked up that poor girl must be?" Gabe replied. "And all he gets is a slap on the wrist?!"

"Maybe that's better than _nothing_!" Ginny shouted. Everyone stared at her. "Maybe that girl just wants to put this all behind her and she's just relieved he isn't here anymore!"

"Ginny..." Trixie whispered, realizing what her outburst meant.

Ginny started to cry. "Oh, shit... Shit, Ginny, I didn't know-" Gabe started.

"It doesn't matter. It's over now," Ginny said softly. "I didn't want anyone to know... I felt like it made me disgusting and pathetic,"

Brandon pulled her into a tight hug. "What he did makes _him_ disgusting and pathetic, not you," he said firmly. "We'll never judge you, Ginny. We're your friends."

Ginny pulled herself together. "We won't tell anyone," Trixie promised.

"I don't care. It may as well come out now," Ginny said. "But only to people I trust." She turned to Gabe. "I guess you don't think I'm so attractive anymore, right?"

"Are you _kidding_?" Gabe looked deep into her eyes. "You survived all that and you're _still_ a badass! Virginia Runnels, I would follow you to the ends of the earth, pining and ignored for eternity, just to bask in your glory!" He dropped to his knees and kissed her hand.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Get up, you goon," she said, but Trixie could tell his grand gesture meant a lot to her.

When Ginny seemed calmer, Brandon guided Trixie away. "Do you think she'll be alright?" Trixie asked.

"I hope so," Brandon said.

"Brandon... I can't even imagine what she's going through. I mean, my moms were super protective of me. They taught me how to fight back if anyone ever tried anything like that on me, and Mom never really let me out of her sight. She was kind of paranoid about something happening because of her own history."

"Well, it makes sense. I mean, your mom is a serious badass. She successfully fought off Brock Lesnar, but my mom says it still almost wasn't enough-"

Trixie stared at him. "Wait, what are you talking about?"

Brandon looked confused. "She never told you? I just figured you knew. My mom said it was a huge deal, and that even though she's not your mom's biggest fan, she respects her as a woman because of it."

Trixie's head was spinning. A wrestler had tried to rape her mother and she'd somehow escaped? How could she hide that from her? Lesnar was a huge deal in WWE before getting arrested, and he was an MMA guy. Trixie knew all that. She even knew that the WWE had struggled with whether or not to induct the "one in twenty-one-and-one" into the Hall of Fame because of whatever he'd been arrested for. Ultimately, they had done it after his death a few years back. Her mother had been upset and her aunt Corri had to talk her out of walking away from WWE entirely. Corri had informed her that if she quit, they'd win, but Trixie had no idea what they were talking about. Now, it all made sense.

"Oh my God, Mom," Trixie whispered.

"Are you okay? I'm sorry, Trixie," Brandon said. "I didn't mean to just drop that on you."

"It's okay... It kind of makes everything make sense now. Mom told me someone hurt her as a kid, but... She never mentioned this."

"Your mom's really strong." He had genuine respect in his voice.

"Yeah... She is." Strong hardly covered that. Trixie had seen photos of Brock Lesnar and had even seen some of his old matches online. Her mother escaping someone like that put her in superhero territory in Trixie's book.

Trixie leaned against Brandon as she said, "Speaking of our parents... When do we tell them about... um... us?" It was still strange to use that phrase. Their relationship was so new, it hardly seemed real.

Brandon smiled down at her nervously. "We might as well rip that band-aid off. I'm ready whenever you are."

They decided to call their parents and ask them to meet them. Cayla and Saraya showed up fifteen minutes later. Shortly after, Bryan and Brie arrived.

"What's going on?" Saraya asked suspiciously.

"Um... So... We wanted to talk to you guys," Trixie began.

Bryan looked like he already knew where this was going. "We're dating," Brandon added quickly.

 _Rip that band-aid off,_ Trixie repeated to herself.

"What?!" Brie and Saraya shouted in unison.

"That's great!" Bryan said at the same time. Everyone stared at him.

 _"Great?!"_ Brie demanded.

"Yes, my love," Bryan said patiently. "Trixie's a great girl, and look how _happy_ they look."

"But her mothers-"

"Aren't dating our son. Therefore, they aren't a factor."

"But... But, Bryan, I..." Brie looked at Bryan in frustration. He shook his head and motioned toward their son as Brandon stood protectively beside Trixie.

"Damnit... I hate you right now," Brie mumbled to her husband.

Bryan grinned. "Congratulations, kids!" He said.

"No way! Unacceptable!" Saraya declared at his words.

"Saraya-" Cayla began.

"No! She's our _mortal enemy,_ Cayla! For fuck's sake, I'm a cool mum, Trixie! I have only one rule: Thou shalt not date the spawn of a Bella!"

Trixie's face fell. "Mum... I love him," she said.

Brandon looked stunned at her words. Trixie was stunned she'd said them, but the more she got to know him, the more she knew it was true. Every day, she fell for him more.

"What did you put in her head?" Saraya demanded of Brandon. "You are a _child_! You don't know love-"

"Saraya, stop it," Cayla said as Trixie cowered in Brandon's arms. He automatically stroked her hair soothingly. She hated that her mum was angry, but she felt safe in his arms.

"Cayla-"

"No. I mean it. You're upsetting our daughter."

" _She_ upset _me_!"

"This one's not about you, honey. Trixie and Brandon can't control how they feel about each other any more than you and I can."

"This is different!"

"How? They love each other. They didn't choose it. Neither did we. That's not how love works."

"I don't approve of this-"

"I know," Trixie said suddenly. "And I'm sorry if I've disappointed you, Mum, but I'm eighteen. This is _my_ heart I'm following... You always told me to do that."

"Damnit," Saraya mumbled. "I hate it when she uses my words against me."

"Do you hate me, Mum?" She was afraid of the answer, but she had to ask.

"What? Of course not, Luv!" Saraya sighed. "You're just growing up faster than I expected and falling in love with inappropriate people so early... Just like me, actually." Saraya hugged her. "I don't want the Bellas for in-laws, but I _do_ want you to be happy. I suppose I'll have to deal and hope it's a phase."

"It's not."

"Leave me my bubble of hope, Luv." She hugged her before walking away. Cayla looked over her shoulder at Bryan, who winked at her. He led Brie away after giving Brandon a thumbs up.

"Well," Brandon said, "that could have gone worse."

"At least the truth's out now," Trixie replied.

"Indeed, my _Juliet_..." Brandon pulled her closer to him. He looked down at her and said, "And now that we're alone and it's less awkward, I'd just like to add... I love you, too."

He kissed her before she could respond, which was probably better because she didn't have any words.


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

 _ **NICKY**_

The next day, Nicky's parents drove him back to the hotel in near-silence. He knew he was in trouble. It wasn't until they were nearly there that his mother said, "Nicky, we need to talk."

"I'm sorry... I know I need to get more rest," Nicky said automatically.

"It's more than that, Nick," his father said.

"Nicky... Baby, the doctor... We know you've been drinking," his mother finally blurted out.

Nicky suddenly felt like an idiot. Of course they knew... "I wasn't drunk," he said quickly. "I was exhausted."

"There was enough alcohol left in your system to show up in your bloodwork, Nicky. That means at some point very recently, you drank a _lot_ of alcohol," his father said.

"Baby, you have to stop this," his mother said.

"I'm sorry, Mom," Nicky said. He was ashamed of himself. He'd never upset his mother so much.

"We're not mad, baby... We're _worried_. What's going on with you?"

"I just... I wanted to fit in," he said lamely.

"Nicky, that's how it starts... You think having a drink or two is harmless, but it starts to happen more and more, and then it escalates... Harder drinks, even drugs..." She looked haunted.

"Mom, I..." He stared at his shoes. "I'll stop, okay? Please don't be upset."

She squeezed his hand. "Don't worry about me, honey. I just want _you_ to be okay."

Nicky was desperately hoping something would derail this conversation. His prayers were unexpectedly answered when they reached the hotel. They heard screaming and all quickly jumped out of the car.

"Dad, _stop it_!" Ginny was pleading.

Nicky stared at Cody in shock as he realized he was beating the hell out of someone. "You fucking pedophile bastard!" Cody was screaming. Nicky had never seen him so angry.

Luke Harper (Nicky never remembered his real name) was trying to defend himself. Cody wouldn't allow it.

When Randy reached them, he tried to pull Cody back. "Cody, stop! He's not worth going to jail over!" Randy said.

"He has to _pay_!" Cody shouted. "You know, Randy! You _know_ what that bastard did!"

"I know. Come on, Cody, I get it, but you have to stop. This isn't the place or the time, and you're upsetting Ginny."

Cody hesitated. He looked at his daughter and finally let Randy pull him back. He looked at Ginny with tears in his eyes. He walked toward her and hugged her. Randy noticed she was shaking.

Harper stood up. He glared at them all. It wasn't until he saw Danielle that he snapped. "Bitch!" He shouted. "You bitch! You got me fired with your lies, you slut!"

It was Corri who interfered. She jumped in front of Danielle as he went to hit her. Corri grabbed his hand and nearly broke it, but he somehow got free and hit her instead. It was a hard hit and Corri's head hit the side of the hotel. Blood trickled down the side of her head as she put her hand to it. She was momentarily stunned, something that rarely happened.

Nicky wanted to attack, but someone else got there first. Randy ripped Harper away from Corri and Danielle and flung him into the side of the hotel. Corri was trying to calm Danielle down as Randy continued to punch Harper. Cody put a hand on his shoulder.

"Um... Randy?" Cody called gently. "Remember that advice you gave me?"

"I'm reconsidering my position on the matter," Randy said too calmly. It was rare Nicky saw his father so angry.

"He's a piece of shit," Cody said, "and he's not worth throwing our lives away over."

Randy looked like he wanted to argue, but he didn't. Instead, he put Harper into a position he couldn't get out of as they waited for the cops to show up.

There were plenty of witnesses willing to say Harper was the only one at fault. He was led away in handcuffs as Ginny stared after him. Danielle sobbed quietly beside Danny, who arrived after Harper had been subdued and glared at his father.

"Are you okay, Mom?" Nicky asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Corri said angrily. "But he's a dead man if he ever tries that again."

"You're getting checked, Corri," Paul said firmly. He'd been called in when the cops showed up.

Corri rolled her eyes. "I'm perfectly okay."

"You're bleeding from your head."

"It's a _scratch_."

"It's more than that, and I need to be sure you aren't concussed."

"I'm fine. My sexy viper defended me... It's so hot when you do that." Corri sounded almost giddy as she wrapped her arms around Randy's neck.

"Yeah, I'm with Paul," Randy said. "You need to get checked."

"You wanna play Doctor?" She asked suggestively.

"Maybe later," Randy said indulgently.

 _Gross,_ Nicky thought. _I don't want to hear that._

"Come on, Corr," Randy said. "Let's get you taken care of."

Nicky was about to follow them when he noticed Ginny still staring off into space. "Gin... You okay?" He asked gently.

"Not even a little," Ginny whispered so softly, he wasn't completely sure she'd spoken.

He put an arm cautiously around her shoulders. Ginny leaned on him, resting her head against his shoulder, not saying anything. "What can I do, Ginny?" He asked.

"Distract me. Just get me out of here and make me forget that ever happened," Ginny replied.

"I can help with that," Molly said, appearing out of nowhere. She looked at Cody. "I'm kidnapping your kid," she informed him. Cody looked at Ginny, whose eyes were pleading. He nodded.

"I'm sorry, Ginny. I lost control," he said.

"It's okay," Ginny said. "I couldn't have asked you to react any other way."

"I love you."

"I love you, too, Dad."

"Sappy! Come on, let's get away from the attack of Mass Mush," Molly said. She took Ginny's arm, then looked at Nicky. "Gather the Legacy crew. I'll text you where to meet me. Ginny needs to change." With that, she led Ginny away.

Nicky did as he was told, tracking their entire stable down until everyone had agreed to come hang out. Molly had decided Ginny needed to be cheered up. How she planned to do that, he didn't know, but he was definitely on board to help.

 _ **MOLLY**_

"You look hot, Ginny," Molly said as she looked at her handiwork. It had taken nearly four hours to get everything set up, but it was worth it if she could help Ginny. The girl had had a shitty couple of weeks.

She knew Ginny cleaned up beautifully. Ginny had been on plenty of dates with creeps before. She had, quite possibly, the worst taste in men ever. Molly realized now that Ginny might not think she deserved any better than guys who cheated or who hit her, but Molly had to disagree. With her mixed complexion, her dark eyes, and those gorgeous lips, Ginny could have any guy she wanted.

"Stop flirting," Ginny joked. It wasn't actually abnormal for Molly to flirt with Ginny, but she was being honest tonight. Ginny looked great.

Molly led the way to her favorite karaoke bar in town. "Karaoke? Come on, Mol, that's not my thing-" Ginny protested.

"Hush. I promise this will be fun. You don't have to sing. You can just drink and watch everyone else make fools out of themselves. You'll feel better after, I swear," Molly insisted.

Ginny looked skeptical, but she usually did. She didn't try to stop Molly; she knew better. They found Nicky and Trixie already sitting at a table. Claire was sitting nearby, but not quite with them.

"Ugh. Who invited the skank?" Molly asked aloud.

Nicky sighed. "Keith was already with her. She kind of invited _herself_ ," he explained.

"Bitch. Whatever. How's your mom?"

"Concussed, but not too badly. Dad's taking care of her."

"Corri's gonna kill that dick when she sees him... Enough about that, though. We're here to have fun... Trix, where's your new arm candy?"

Trixie blushed. "Brandon said he'd meet me here. He came with Gabe and Lucas, and I think they're here, but I don't know where," she explained. "I just found Nicky and grabbed him before Claire could. I have no idea where the other boys are..."

Suddenly, the lights dimmed and a spotlight hit the stage area. "Oh, I think _I_ know," Molly said with a laugh as she pointed to the stage.

Brandon, Lucas, Gabe, and Keith stood on the stage. Each was dressed like they were part of a1980's hair band, complete with wigs.

"Oh my God!" Trixie squeaked out.

"What the-?" Ginny asked.

"Aw, Nicky, why aren't _you_ up there?" Trixie asked.

"Keith knows how shy Nicky is," Molly guessed.

Nicky looked embarrassed. "It might have been nice to be asked, though... I have no idea what they're about to do," he said. He sounded hurt.

Molly squeezed his shoulder. "I'm sure they were just trying not to make you uncomfortable. You're not a karaoke kind of guy," she said sweetly.

The conversation stopped as Gabe took the microphone. "We want to send this one out to the amazing, beautiful, stunning Virginia Runnels!" He announced.

Ginny looked embarrassed, but not in a bad way. The music began and a thrill shot through Molly. She knew this song. Greg Excellent had used it in CZW for years and she absolutely loved it. It reminded her of some of her favorite memories.

Lucas led the dancing as Gabe took the lead vocals. " _Oh, we're no strangers to love. You know the rules and so do I. A full commitment's what I'm thinking of. You won't get this from any other guy,"_ Gabe sang.

Keith joined in with him, singing, _"I... just wanna tell you how I'm feeling. Gotta make you understand..."_

All four hit the chorus with, _"Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you. Never gonna make you cry, never gonna say goodbye, never gonna tell a lie and hurt you..."_

Gabe went back to his solo as he sang, _"We've known each other for so long. Your heart's been aching but you're too shy to say it. Inside we both know what's been going on. We know the game and we're gonna play it."_

 _"And... if you ask me how I'm feeling, don't tell me you're too blind to see,"_ Keith chimed in.

Molly felt things she couldn't identify as the song progressed with another chorus from all four. "They're amazing," she said. "Isn't this _great_?" She asked Nicky. Nothing got to Molly more than a good karaoke performance, especially of a CZW entrance song.

"Yeah," Nicky said dryly. "They're terrific."

"Right? Oh my God, _look_ at them dancing!" Molly declared.

"This is over-the-top," Ginny said, but she was smiling.

"It's so _sweet_!" Trixie declared.

 _"Ooooh... Give you up!"_ Lucas, Keith, and Brandon sang as high as they could manage.

 _"Never gonna give, never gonna give,"_ Gabe continued.

As they sang the final verses, Molly was practically swooning as much as Trixie. "Ginny?" She said as they were finishing the song.

"Yeah?" Ginny asked.

" _Marry_ that boy!"

"Seconded!" Trixie added.

"Any man who'll rock out to eighties music... _especially_ in costume... just to make a girl smile is _totally_ the one."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "We're not even dating," she reminded them.

"Who cares? Gabe's probably had an engagement ring picked out since you were toddlers."

Ginny looked to Nicky. "They're ridiculous," she said.

"They're not wrong," Nicky admitted.

Ginny threw her hands up in frustration. " _Et tu,_ Nicholas?" She asked.

Nicky cringed. " _Please_ don't call me that," he said.

"He'd treat you right, Gin. That counts for something," Molly insisted.

The crowd was begging the four boys for more. Keith grinned. "Let's do this," he said. He pointed to the guy running the music and a new song started. This one was a mix of songs. Trixie started giggling hysterically as she recognized the first song. Molly and Ginny laughed, too, until Molly noticed Keith going through _all_ the motions of the song.

As Gabe, Lucas, and Brandon fawned over him, Keith sang, _"I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it hurts..."_

As he sang and used the perfect pouty-model facial expressions, Lucas and Gabe ripped his shirt off. Molly stared at him with a new appreciation. _Yes you_ are, she thought. _You show the naughty shirt who's boss!_

He'd hit the chorus by the time Molly focused again. _"I'm a model, you know what I mean, and I do my little turn on the catwalk. Yeah, on the catwalk-"_

The song shifted suddenly as Gabe and Keith both burst out with, _"When I walk in the spot, this is what I see. Everybody stops and they're staring at me. I got passion in my pants and I ain't afraid to show it... I'm sexy and I know it!"_ The dancing of all four was insane now.

 _"Girl, look at that body!"_ Lucas and Brandon sang.

Gabe finally added, _"I work out!"_

Suddenly, all four sang, _"Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, yeah..."_ They sang the line twice more before it shifted again.

Now, the intro to _Black or White_ played and Lucas took control of the show. His Michael Jackson dance was spot-on. He cried out, "Ow!" at the right spots as he danced before launching into the lyrics.

"Goddamn, if Lucas were straight..." Molly said aloud, in awe of his talent.

He got through the chorus before it shifted again, this time to the boys singing, _"Ooga-chaka, ooga-ooga, ooga-chaka, ooga-ooga..."_

They were all laughing now, even Nicky. That was when Brandon took the microphone. Molly could see Trixie melt instantly as he sang straight to her with his friends still singing their _ooga-chakas_.

 _"I can't stop this feeling, deep inside of me. Girl, you just don't realize what you do to me. When you hold me in your arms so tight, you let me know everything's alright. I... I'm hooked on a feeling... I'm high on believing that you're in love with me,"_ Brandon sang.

The boys now changed again. Keith started, then was joined by Gabe, then Lucas, and finally Brandon as they sang, _"Dom, dom, dom, dom, dom, domby dooby dom..."_

It was Gabe who sang, _"I love you darling, come and go with me, please don't send me way beyond the sea. I love you darling, so come go with me! Come, come, come, come, come into my heart. Tell me darling, say we'll never part. I need you darling, so come go with me. Yes, I need you, yes, I really need you... Please say you'll never leave me... Well, say you never, yeah, you really never... You never give me a chance!"_

The boys started to walk into the audience as they sang. Molly was hooked by the cheesy beauty of it all. Gabe took Ginny's hand. Brandon took Trixie's. Keith took Claire's and Molly felt anger fill her until Lucas grabbed her and distracted her _._ She couldn't help but smile as he danced her around.

As they finished their medley, Keith dramatically sang, _"And I'm too sexy for this song!"_ The music stopped as they struck dramatic poses in unison. The crowd applauded. Gabe looked at Ginny and kissed her hand before the boys walked away and handed their microphones back.

"I repeat... _Marry that boy,_ Ginny," Molly said. She couldn't help but feel annoyed as Claire fawned over Keith when he returned.

 _She's his girlfriend,_ she thought.

 _She's not good enough for him,_ she argued with herself. She wasn't sure why Claire got under her skin, but she wouldn't have been upset to watch her get squished by a spotlight or eaten by an army of rabid chipmunks, that was for sure.

"You did all that in four hours?" Molly asked Lucas.

"I arranged it in thirty minutes and then taught these guys to dance with the rest of the time, actually," Lucas replied.

Molly grabbed Lucas and kissed him hard on the lips. Everyone stared at her, including Lucas.

"You _do_ know he's gay, right?" Claire asked.

"What I know is work like that deserves a kiss, and I figured _Nicky_ wouldn't exactly volunteer, so why _not_ me?" Molly asked.

"I can't believe you guys did this," Ginny said. Her bitchy exterior was nearly gone. Molly was relieved to see Ginny looking relaxed for once.

"Anything to make my Godsister laugh," Keith replied as he pulled a t-shirt on.

"It worked," Ginny admitted.

"Our work here is done!" Brandon declared.

Ginny stood up and kissed Gabe's cheek. "Thank you," she said.

 _Ouch, the cheek,_ Molly thought, but then she saw something in Ginny's eyes that told her Gabe just might have a chance yet. She tried to focus on that instead of the repulsive sight of Claire shoving her tongue down Keith's throat.

 _I hope he has his shots,_ Molly thought bitterly before shaking her head and deciding to spend the rest of the night flirting with the very unattainable Lucas, who unlike _some_ people never gave her headaches from stupidity.


	16. Chapter 16

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ _For the anonymous reviewer who requested a Keith POV, there is one in this chapter! I hope you enjoy it._

 **CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

 _ **CORRI**_

Two days post-concussion, Corri drove back to Florida. Cayla had insisted on taking the ride back with her in case she had any medical issues, but she was doing much better. Corri headed straight to work, and Cayla tagged along. This was their favorite time of year; NXT Bootcamp. Corri loved seeing indy stars trying to make their mark on WWE. When it was over, she'd be responsible for deciding who got to stay and who had to leave. Paul always helped her make the choices, but after all this time, he trusted Corri to do most of the work.

"Remember, no getting in the ring until next week," Paul said before she had even settled in. Cayla looked happy he'd said it so she didn't have to.

"I know, I know," Corri said. "Fucking Harper..."

They stood in front of the group of hopefuls. Some looked terrified. Others looked arrogant and entitled. Those were the ones Corri liked telling to go home. They needed to be knocked down a few pegs. One girl was nervously biting her nails. A boy who looked barely legal was visibly trembling.

Paul gave an inspiring speech about how great this opportunity was and how much he looked forward to seeing what these kids could do. Then, he introduced Corri. The nerves of the potentials got worse as they realized who she was.

"Holy shit!" The nail-biter screamed out before covering her mouth.

Corri laughed. Paul sternly said, "That's not PG," but he was trying to hide a smile.

"Welcome to _my_ playground, Kiddies," Corri said. "I hope you're prepared for one hell of a week... Now, get in the ring and show me why you're special."

The young wrestlers broke out every trick they could think of. It was a good group. "We can only take two guys and one girl right now," Paul whispered.

"Not an easy choice," Cayla said. "They're all looking pretty good right now."

"They'll show us who's best eventually," Corri said. "Most people can't handle boot camp."

One of the girls tripped over another. The two immediately got into a fight. "See?" Corri asked. "The weak ones always crack under the pressure."

The trembling kid surprised Corri by breaking the girls up. She called him over to her. "What's your name?" She asked.

"Jordan Wringler," he replied nervously. "But everyone calls me Jordy."

"Nice to meet you, Jordy. You know me and Paul, and this is my sister Cayla. How long have you been wrestling?"

"Unofficially, my whole life," he replied. "I started training three years ago when I was seventeen. I've worked all over..." He looked terribly starstruck. "My only dream in this life is to be a WWE Superstar."

"I'm sure you'll achieve that one day," Cayla said kindly.

"Hopefully soon," Jordy said enthusiastically.

Corri liked the kid. His passion was clear and he was the only one who'd bothered to break up the girls. Still, that didn't mean he was right for WWE. She'd need to see more to know for sure.

"Get back out there. I'll be having you guys do more focused exercises soon. Good luck," Corri said.

"Thanks!" He said with a grin before doing what she said.

"They're all so adorable at this stage," Corri said with a laugh. She turned her attention back to watching them, hoping it would be an easy choice.

 _ **NICKY**_

Nicky had gone back and forth about doing what he wanted to do, but he saw no other choice. Molly wouldn't stop raving about how great Keith had been in the karaoke performance. He'd never seen her so focused on something before. He _had_ to do something to top his brother or he was going to lose her.

He spotted Lucas sitting on a bench in the locker room. After looking around to make sure they were alone, Nicky approached him.

"Hey, Lucas... Can we talk?" He asked nervously.

Lucas smiled at him and it put Nicky's nerves at ease. "Sure, Nicky. What's up?" He asked.

"I... um... Look, what you guys did for Ginny was awesome."

"Thanks! It was fun."

"Did you... I mean... Did you guys leave me out for a _reason_?"

Lucas looked confused. "Keith said this wasn't really your thing," he said. "I'm sorry, Nicky! I didn't mean for you to feel excluded."

"So it wasn't just that you didn't need the _back-up_ Orton?"

Lucas laughed, but not unkindly. "Do you _really_ think that? Nicky, you're _not_ the backup. You guys are _both_ great. I was just under the impression you weren't a singer. Or a dancer."

"I'm not... I mean... I've never tried. That's actually why I'm here."

Lucas studied him. "Okay, I'm intrigued. What's up?"

"I... That is... Could you... Will you teach me to dance like that?" Nicky blushed as he got the question out. This was embarrassing.

Lucas grinned like a kid on Christmas. "Yeah! Yeah, that would be great," he said. "We'll have fun."

"Really?"

"Definitely. When do you want to start?"

"As soon as possible. I'm sort of in a hurry."

Lucas nodded knowingly. "Who's the lucky girl?" He asked.

"What?"

"Come on, Nicky. A guy learning to dance on a timeline only happens for _one_ reason. You're trying to impress a girl"

"It's Molly," Nicky admitted softly. "I... I think I'm in love with her, but she only has eyes for Keith, who's dating _Claire_... It's like something written by Shakespeare! I'm living _A Midsummer Night's Dream_... And my chances aren't so good."

Lucas grinned again. "I can't resist a good romance. I'm in."

"Really?" Nicky was stunned it had been that easy.

"Yep. Fear not, Young Nick! The fair Molly's heart shall belong to thee yet!"

Suddenly, hearing it from Lucas, Nicky believed he might actually stand a chance against his brother for once.

 _ **KEITH**_

Making out with Claire wasn't an unpleasant experience by any means, but today, Keith couldn't seem to focus on the activity. His heart just wasn't in it.

He pulled away gently and said, "How about lunch?"

Claire looked at him with the full power of her flirtiest eyes and said, "I was thinking about putting something _else i_ n my-"

"Claire…" He laughed. That girl wasn't exactly subtle. She also had a one-track mind, which was fine sometimes, but there were moments when Keith desperately wanted more from his relationship. "Seriously, I'm starving."

"You're _always_ starving," she teased. "Such an appetite for delicious things…"

Why was _everything_ a double entendre with this girl? Keith took a deep breath and tried again. "Come on, I'll pay."

"Baby, you know I can't eat like you can. I have to watch my figure if I want to make it on the main roster. My time here is limited to house shows right now, but I know I can earn my spot if I work hard enough."

"You're nuts. You're beautiful, Claire. Stop acting like you're even remotely fat, okay? Because you're not."

She pouted at him. "Keith, you don't get how hard I have to work to look this good."

"You can't starve yourself. We've talked about that. I can't…" He sighed. "I can't be with someone who doesn't eat, okay?"

"I _do_ eat."

"Rabbit food. In extremely tiny portions."

"Not everyone can pig out and look as good as _you_ do."

Keith pulled her into his lap for a hug. Claire seemed to take this as an invitation to start grinding against him. The girl knew what she was doing, but he refused to be distracted.

"Claire, I just want to go out and actually _do_ something, okay?"

"As opposed to doing _each other_?" She sighed like he was asking too much of her, but got out of his lap and said, "Fine. Where do you want to go?"

Keith was relieved she'd caved. He quickly suggested a local restaurant and they headed there. Claire even made an effort to eat more than usual, which Keith appreciated.

Afterward, Claire helped him get ready for work. She warmed up with him, helped him get his hair and ring gear perfect, and then kissed him passionately for luck.

"I love you, Baby," she said.

Every time she said that, it shocked him. Most people waited until they were dating for a long time before they dropped that bomb, but not Claire. She'd professed her love for him almost immediately. Keith had yet to say it back. He couldn't say those words if he didn't mean them, and as much as he liked spending time with Claire and messing around with her, and even though he definitely cared about her, he just wasn't sure if this was actually _love_.

He kissed her again instead, a response Claire never seemed to mind. He went out for his match. He was wrestling Bray Wyatt, of all people, and he was nervous about it. Windham Rotunda was a true professional when it came to working matches, but he rarely dropped his character. In fact, Keith had only seen him out of character once, and it was on a day when his brother Taylor, or Bo Dallas, had hurt himself in the ring and he'd rushed to his side. Because of this, even though his brain knew Windham was the real person and not Bray Wyatt, he always saw him as Bray, and he creeped him out. They'd never had a match until now. In fact, he'd mostly avoided him.

The match started off well. Bray came out and did his creepy promo for the night. Keith interrupted him and cut his own promo. He'd never gone up on the mic against anyone so intimidating before, but he faked confidence and worked through it.

"You think you're some kind of God, Bray Wyatt?" He asked. "Well, guess what? My father was the legend killer, and that's impressive… But _I'm_ the Legend _Destroyer_. There won't be anything left for people to say about you when I'm done with you!" With that, he dropped the mic and ran into the ring. He immediately attacked Bray, who recovered quickly and hit him with some of his own moves.

 _Just don't let him kiss you and you'll be fine,_ he told himself with an internal laugh.

The match went longer than he had expected. Bray wasn't making it easy for him. In the end, however, just as Bray was about to hit Sister Abigail's Kiss, Keith escaped. He then countered with an RKO. Bray hit the mat hard and Keith got the pin.

When he got backstage, adrenaline flowed through him. He'd beaten someone who scared the crap out of him when he was a kid. Not only had he held his own in the ring with this legend, he'd gotten over with a crowd who loved Bray and hadn't been on Keith's side at the start of the match. He was on top of the world when Claire flung her arms around him.

"That was amazing!" She said. "I knew you could do it! I'm so proud of you, Baby! I love you!"

Somehow, those words seemed so genuine, they touched something in him. As she looked into his eyes adoringly, Keith couldn't help but get caught up in the moment. "I love you, too," he said.

Claire looked ecstatic as she realized what he'd said. She kissed him hard and promised to do some very not-PG rated things to him later that night. The joy on her face told him he'd made the right choice. She was loyal and stood by his side constantly, doing whatever she could to support him. She was funny, pretty, and talented, and he enjoyed their time together. Best of all, she loved him. Why had he been so hell-bent on denying her the same?

 _ **SARAYA**_

This was the first show she'd worked since losing her mum. Saraya tried very hard to keep her emotions in line as she stepped into the ring. She had a smile on her face and was ready to make her mum proud. She didn't feel as sad as she realized her mum would be watching this match. The time for grieving was over, and it was time for Saraya to go back to kicking ass.

Her poor opponent hadn't expected such a wild match, but Saraya was too excited to be getting back into things. The familiar rush of the crowd chanting her name, the ache in her muscles as she hit the mat and the posts and even a barricade, the feeling of joy as she put on what she knew was one of her best matches ever… Nothing beat that. Saraya was home, and damn was it about bloody time!

After the match, she pulled out her phone to call her wife. Hearing Cayla's voice added to her feeling of euphoria. She was in such good spirits, she went to the nearest pub and bought everyone a round. She'd have been worried she was becoming manic, but honestly, it was just such a relief to be able to escape from the grief that had been crushing her soul. She knew now, for certain, that life would go on, and she was finally okay with that fact.

 _ **DEAN**_

Every so often, Dean would get the unusual sense that trouble was coming. It was something he'd developed while living on the streets. More than once, this had saved his life. He hadn't felt it in a while, and he was startled when he realized it was acting up.

"What's wrong, Dean?" Colby asked him, sensing the change in his mood as he looked up from the comic book he was reading.

"I don't know… I just feel like something's… off," Dean said.

"Your Spidey Sense is tingling!" Colby declared.

Dean rolled his eyes. "I'm not a fucking superhero, Colby. It's just… I dunno, man. Something's coming."

Colby turned serious. "Anything I can do?"

"Probably not…"

"What triggered the feeling?"

"No clue… I was talking to Corri a little while ago, and it just hit."

"Well, what were you talking about?"

"Bootcamp."

"Maybe someone really awful's going to get through somehow and ruin NXT."

"I doubt that. Corri has an eye for talent."

"So then, what's _your_ idea?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'm just fucking nuts. I mean, the unstable thing's not just a gimmick."

"Your instincts have always been strong."

"I guess something about the way she described the prospects… I don't know. It didn't sit right. I just feel like there's trouble in that group, and not the good kind."

"Let's hope you're wrong… But if you're right, maybe you should warn her?"

"Warn her of what, exactly? Possible trouble that's probably just in my head? Forget it. I'm just neurotic. It's fine." He wished he was as sure as he sounded. Colby didn't look convinced, either.

 _ **TRIXIE**_

Trixie and Brandon were walking back to the hotel when a car pulled up beside them. Nikki jumped out and Trixie knew she was in trouble.

"Brandon! What the hell is this I hear about you dating _that_?" Nikki demanded.

That seemed a bit rude to Trixie. She looked at Brandon helplessly. "Her _name_ is Trixie, Aunt Nicole, and yes, she's my girlfriend," Brandon said steadily. He looked just as nervous as Trixie felt.

"Unacceptable! You're better than that," Nikki insisted. "In fact, I forbid it, Brandon! No son of _mine_ is going to date Cayla Casey's daughter!"

"Aunt Nicole… I love you, but you're _not_ my mother."

Nikki looked hurt. "I carried you in my womb for _nine months_ , Brandon! I'm just as much your mother as Brie is!"

 _It's probably not a good idea to point out to her that a pregnancy is actually_ ten _months, right?_ Trixie wondered to herself.

"You don't have a say in this. I'm sorry," Brandon said.

"You can't date her! She's a _dyke_!" Nikki declared.

"Aunt Nicole!" Brandon shouted in disgust. "That word is _not_ okay to use, and that's _not_ true!"

"It's not her _fault_ , Brandon. It's in her genes. Ask her! Ask her about her conception! Her dyke mother couldn't even carry a straight man's sperm. Her body rejected it! She lost two babies before this one was born, and you know what was different about _her_? Her father was _gay_! Cayla was so gay, she couldn't make a baby with a straight man!"

Brandon started to yell at Nikki, but Trixie stood frozen in confusion. Was it true? Did Nikki actually know who her father was?

"Listen, you psycho skank bitch!" Molly shouted. Trixie hadn't even realized her best friend had shown up. "You need to back the fuck off of her or I'll make you _wish_ you had."

"Oh, are you two lezzies _together_? Yeah, that makes sense," Nikki said.

"First off, I'm fucking bisexual, so screw you and your homophobia! Second, you're just _jealous_ because you wish I'd fuck _you_ but I don't want to catch anything! Third, I _said_ to shut the fuck up!"

It was only when Trixie noticed the fork in Molly's hand that she found her ability to speak. "What do you mean?" She demanded of Nikki, effectively stopping Molly from stabbing Nikki with the fork.

"Excuse me?" Nikki asked.

"About my father? What do you mean about him being gay? How do you even know who he is? My moms never told anyone."

Nikki looked a little too pleased with herself. "Oh, you poor girl… I guess everyone's been lying to you. When my sister was trying to get pregnant, she had the same doctor as your mother. And while I was carrying my Brandon, I saw her pretty often as she tried and failed… And when I went back for follow-ups after I had him, she was still trying. They went through so much trying to have a baby… And finally, they brought him in. You know, a girl needs her father, even if he's gay, but I guess he didn't want to admit the truth… Maybe he just didn't want you."

"Enough, bitch!" Molly said again, aiming the fork toward Nikki. "Tell her what she wants to know or shut the fuck up and leave!"

"Your father could have been here for you, Trixie," Nikki said with more fake sympathy. "He's been so close… It's _obvious,_ isn't it? Your dad is Darren Young."

Trixie felt her head spinning as her entire world shattered. Her father… The man she'd never thought she needed but might have liked to know… had been in her life since the day she was born but had never told her the truth!

Suddenly, she couldn't breathe. "You're lying," she whispered.

"Am I?" Nikki asked. "Ask your dyke mothers."

Trixie didn't know what to do. She heard Brandon calling after her as she ran as fast as she could away from them. She also heard Nikki yelp as Molly most likely stabbed her with her fork. She'd expect nothing less from Molly, who had probably also kept Brandon from running after her. It was for the best. Trixie needed to think, and she couldn't process all of this with them there.


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

 _ **TRIXIE**_

She'd run for what felt like hours before collapsing against a lamppost in the park. Trixie wasn't sure what to do. Nikki could be lying, but somehow, she knew she wasn't. Her mum was busy wrestling and her mom was with her aunt in Florida. She didn't want to have this conversation on the phone, but she had to know…

She dialed Cayla's number. Her mom picked up almost immediately. "Hey, Baby, what's up?" She asked.

"Mom.." Her voice cracked.

"Trixie, what's wrong, sweetheart?" Her mom asked.

How could Trixie ask her this? She sighed. "Mom, I need to know something."

"Of course, Baby… What is it?"

"Who's my father?"

Cayla fell silent. It was obvious Trixie had shocked her. "I… Baby, where is this coming from? What's wrong? You sound like you've been crying."

"Answer me, Mom! _Please_."

Cayla paused. Finally, she said, "I don't know what happened, but I wish we could talk about this in person-"

"Just _tell_ me. Tell me if it's true!"

"If _what's_ true?"

"Tell me if Fred is my father!" She was yelling and she didn't care. She needed answers. She was sick of being lied to.

"Oh, Baby…" Her mother sighed. "Who told you that?"

"It doesn't matter. Is it true?"

She expected her mom to avoid the question again. Instead, she said, "Yes, Sweetheart. Fred is your biological father."

Trixie started sobbing. "Why didn't you _tell_ me? He was _there_! All this time, he was _right there_!"

"I'm sorry, Baby… Fred agreed you'd be mine and your mum's… He didn't want to cause any confusion for you."

"Well he failed at that!" Furious, Trixie hung up and flung her cell phone across the grass. It took her several moments to catch her breath. When she finally did, she decided there was someone else she needed to confront.

 _ **CAYLA**_

Realizing her daughter had hung up, Cayla clutched the phone to her chest. She'd never heard Trixie so angry. She's always been such a happy child, and she was about as mellow as they came.

"I'm so sorry, Baby," she whispered. She and Saraya had never intended to hurt Trixie by keeping the truth from her. They'd figured if Trixie ever asked, they would tell her the truth, but she never had… And now, someone had thrown it at her, clearly to hurt her, and Trixie might never trust them again.

Cayla was crying when Corri found her in her room. "What's wrong?" She asked. "Cay, what happened?"

"All hell just broke loose with Trixie," Cayla said.

"Seriously? _That's_ new. What's going on?"

"She knows about Fred…"

Corri knew what she meant. "Oh, fuck… How did she find out?"

"She wouldn't tell me. I think all that mattered to her is that she didn't hear it from me or Saraya."

"You need to call Saraya… Maybe I can run damage control with the kid?"

"If she realizes you knew, she'll be mad at you, too." Cayla sighed. "I need to handle this myself."

"Go back. Drive there and check on your kid."

"She needs space. One thing I know about Trixie is when she's upset, she needs to work it out herself. But as soon as she calls me, I'll be right by her side… God, she _hates_ me, Corri!"

"Trixie could _never_ hate you, Cay. She'll calm down in a few days." Corri hugged her.

"We've never fought…"

"Welcome to having a teenager. It's about five years overdue, really." Corri laughed. "It'll be fine, Cay. Kids get angry. They say things. Sometimes, you say things, too. But everyone gets over it eventually. I promise."

Cayla tried to take comfort in her sister's words and hoped she was right.

 _ **DEAN**_

The sound of his phone ringing woke him up. Dean groaned. Colby, who'd crashed with him for the night, had grabbed it but looked at the caller ID with concern. "I don't know the number," he said, "but it comes up as a police station-"

"Crap," Dean mumbled. He took the phone from Colby and answered it. "Yeah?" He asked.

"Um… Sire?" Came the response he'd been hoping he wouldn't hear.

"Offspring, what did you do?" He asked.

"I might sort of be in a _bit_ of a jam… I'm sort of… Slightly… A little bit… in jail."

"Back up, Kid, and tell me what happened. Start at the beginning."

"I sort of stabbed Nikki Bella with a fork… Not very hard, mind you, but-"

"Molly! What have I told you about that?"

"Not to get caught?"

"Fuck. Alright, Offspring, I'll figure something out… I'll be there as soon as I can be."

"Nikki's in jail, too," Molly added.

"What?"

"Well, she hit me after I used the fork and I pressed charges when she did."

"Right. I'll be right there, okay? Sit tight, Offspring. I'm coming."

"Thank you, Sire."

He hung up and looked at Colby. "Assault with a deadly fork?" Colby asked.

"Yep. Wanna come with me? Maybe bring Joe? We can see if we can distract them with how awesome we are as the Shield and get them to release her," Dean said.

"Anything for that girl. I'll get Joe."

About forty minutes later, they all finally arrived at the precinct. Dean spotted Brandon sitting at a desk and looking miserable and suspected there was more to the story than he knew. Brandon stood when he saw them.

"It's okay," he said quickly. "They're going to drop the charges."

"How are you involved in this?" Dean asked.

"Trixie was with us, and… Well, Aunt Nicole said some really awful things, and Molly got upset… It got very bad, and Trixie left, but then it got physical." Loudly, he added, "My aunt attacked Molly and she had to defend herself."

Joe raised an eyebrow at that. "You're an awful liar, Kid, like your father," he said. "What _really_ happened?"

Brandon spoke very softly. "Nicole attacked Molly _after_ Molly stabbed her in the arm with a fork…"

"Why would you lie about it?" Colby asked just as softly. "Nikki's your aunt."

"After what she did, she's lucky I didn't just let Molly kill her," Brandon said.

"Is Trixie okay?" Dean asked, because that was obviously the reason Brandon was so upset.

"No, but she ran off, so I don't know what's going to happen. Molly insisted I not run after her because Trixie needed to be alone… And then things got bad, and I had to help. Anyway, Molly had to agree to drop her charges, but as long as she does, Nicole's are dropped, too."

"Thanks for watching my offspring's back, Brandon," Dean said.

When Molly came out a few minutes later, she hugged Dean immediately. "I'm sorry, Sire… Don't be angry?" She asked.

"Molly, honestly, we've _all_ wanted to stab Nikki Bella at least once in our lives," Dean said. "Most of us just don't act on it."

"She had it coming."

"So I heard. Come on, Offspring. Let's go get-"

"Dean, if you offer her ice cream after she just got arrested, so help me!" Joe said.

"She's had a rough night and I'll do whatever I damn well please, Joe, thank you," Dean said. "Besides, after waking up to that phone call? _I_ need ice cream."

"Do you need a ride, Brandon?" Colby asked.

"Yes, actually, that would be great," Brandon said.

"Aren't you sticking around for Nikki to get released?" Joe asked.

"No. I can't deal with her right now… I don't understand how she could be so cruel…"

Dean had to stop himself from telling Brandon his aunt had _always_ been a bitch. The kid was clearly upset. "Ice cream for you, too," he declared.

"I… No, thanks, I should get back-" Brandon began.

"Nope. You saved my offspring's ass tonight and you're stressed. I'm going to show you how _my_ family handles that. Come on, it's on me."

Brandon stopped arguing and Dean led the way back to Joe's rental car.

 _ **TRIXIE**_

It took Trixie a while to work up the courage to go knock on Fred's hotel room door. When she finally did, he answered looking confused and half-asleep. She'd forgotten how late it was. She almost changed her mind, but she couldn't stand waiting any longer.

"Trixie?" Fred asked. "Are you okay?"

"No," Trixie said, closing the door behind her and walking toward his bed. She sat down on the edge while she gathered her thoughts. Fred waited patiently for her to continue. "I know," she finally said.

"You know what?" Fred asked.

"That you're my father, _Dad._ " She tried to fill her voice with anger, but instead, it cracked and she felt tears in her eyes.

"Oh God, Trix… I'm going to assume your mothers didn't just tell you this..." He tried to comfort her, but she pulled away from his arms.

"No. No one I _trust_ told me. In fact, the _last_ person who should have told me is the one who did! _Nikki Bella_ blurted it out to me because she wanted to hurt me! And you know what? It worked."

Fred sat on the farthest corner of the bed from her, giving her space but still getting closer to her than he had been. "I'm so sorry you found out like this."

"It's fine. I get it. You didn't want me, right? Why would you?"

Fred looked stunned. "Trixie, that's not it at all!"

"Then why, Fred? Why didn't you _tell_ me? You were there! You were at every birthday, every school play, ever major milestone, but I didn't know! I thought I had no father! And maybe I was okay with that, but you know what? It would have been nice to know I had a father who was there for me, too!" She hated that she was crying.

Fred pulled her into his arms and she didn't fight it this time. His arms had always been a comforting place and right now, she wanted comfort more than anything. "Honey, I am damn proud of the person that you've become! I'm happy I was there for all the big moments, even if it was just as someone who loved you very much and not as a father."

"You should have told me… I had a right to know you were there the whole time."

"I'm sorry, Trixie. I _really_ am. We didn't do this to hurt you. Your moms really wanted a baby, and they had a lot of trouble. They'd been through so much… _So_ much… And this was something I could do for them. I figured if I could help one of my best friends finally have a baby, it was the least I could do to make her happy."

Trixie looked at him with blurred vision and asked, "Did you love me?"

"Honey, you _know_ I love you! I always have. You're an amazing person and I'm thrilled to have you in my life. I'm blessed to have had any part in making you the woman you are today. It was the best choice I've ever made and I don't have any regrets."

She stood. "I need time," she said. "I have to… Work through this, I guess. You all lied to me. Everyone I thought never would… You kept the _biggest_ secret in the world from me, and I had to find out from the worst person possible. I have to go."

"Trixie, sweetheart, you shouldn't be alone right now."

She nodded, but said nothing as she left. She headed up two flights to Nicky's room. She knocked on the door. Nicky answered it. He was still wide awake and his eyes were bloodshot. At first, Trixie thought he was just tired, but then she smelled the alcohol on him.

"Nicky! You've been drinking!" She gasped.

"So? You're _not_ my mother, Trixie," Nicky said defensively. "And keep it down, would you?"

"You promised your parents you'd stop."

"It's no big deal. They don't have to know."

"Nicky, what the hell is going on with you?"

"I just… I'm stressed, Trix. I needed to relax." He looked at her with pleading eyes. "Don't tell anyone, okay? Please?"

Trixie couldn't deal with this. "Forget I was here," she said quickly, turning around. Nicky hadn't even noticed she'd been crying. He'd always been there for her. He was even more sensitive than she was at times and he was a great shoulder to cry on. Apparently, that was no longer true. She wandered the hallway unsure of where else she could go.

 _ **KEITH**_

The knocking on his door was frantic and somehow, Keith knew who was on the other side. Claire looked annoyed when he gently pushed her off of him. "Baby, it was just getting good!" She protested.

"It's my cousin," Keith said. He pulled on some clothing and tossed Claire hers. Reluctantly, she got dressed. When she had barely covered herself, Keith opened the door.

Trixie stood on the other side looking like a mess. She began sobbing as he pulled her into his arms. "Trix? What's wrong? What happened?" He almost asked her if he needed to kill someone on her behalf. He'd never seen her so upset.

"Everything's a lie," Trixie sobbed.

"What do you mean?"

"My parents lied to me… My whole life… My dad… My dad was right there!"

Keith looked at Claire apologetically. "Babe, I need you to go," he said gently. "This is serious."

"Are you _kidding_ me right now?" Claire asked in shock.

"My cousin is _crying_ and it has to do with a family issue. You need to understand… My family is important to me."

Claire changed her tune quickly, but it seemed forced. "Of course. I'm sorry. I hope she feels better. I'll see you tomorrow." She grabbed her things and left the room and Keith knew she was pissed. He couldn't care right then.

"Tell me everything," Keith said gently as he led Trixie to the bed.

Slowly, she told him the whole story. He was as shocked as she was, and that seemed to make her feel better. "I don't know who to trust," she said. "Everyone's been keeping this from me."

"I had no idea," he said. He stroked her hair and tried to soothe her. She finally calmed down after several minutes.

"I'm sorry about interrupting you and Claire," she said.

"It's okay," Keith said quickly. "You're my cousin and you need me. She'll understand."

"I don't think she will…" She looked embarrassed.

"Then she'll just have to deal, because nothing's more important than my family."

She leaned against him. "Can I crash here tonight? I don't want to sleep alone, but I can't go to anyone else… I'm not ready."

"You can _always_ crash with me when you need to, Trix." He hugged her, then guided her toward the bathroom to shower to try to calm herself down more.

By the time Trixie came back out, she'd changed into one of his long t-shirts and looked significantly calmer. He tucked her into his bed and, just like they were little, turned her into his teddy bear for the night.


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

 _ **DEAN**_

It had been a shitty couple of days. When WWE moved on to Connecticut, Dean was relieved. That was, until he spotted an unwelcome and familiar sight.

"What are you doing here, Katie?" He asked. He used her real name because, whatever she was up to, he was done playing games. This woman had upset his kid. _His_ kid, _not_ hers, not after she had dumped her at his feet and walked away. That was unacceptable.

"It's _Katie…_ " she said automatically. "Wait, you actually got it right! Anyway, I'm here to see the show."

"No. You're _not_."

"I have a ticket."

"You can take that ticket and shove it up your ass, Bitch," Dean said firmly.

" _Excuse_ me?"

"You're not allowed to come to any WWE show."

"I paid for my seats."

"How much? I'll give you your money back."

"Dean, you can't ban me from a public arena, especially when I bought tickets."

"Maybe not, but when I tell Triple H you're stalking my kid, _he_ can."

"I am _not_ stalking _our_ daughter!"

" _My_ daughter. She's _mine,_ Bitch. You dumped her and the courts gave _me_ full custody. I have the paperwork to prove it. Also, she's an adult and she hates your ass, so you popping up like this all the time is unwanted and it's becoming stalking. That's illegal, by the way."

"I just want to see the show."

"There's a great indy show in Waterbury. Northeast Wrestling. Go check them out instead. It's an awesome promotion. Lots of WWE legends, some great seasoned talent, and some local guys who might be young and dumb enough to screw your ring rat ass."

Katie slapped him hard across the face. Dean looked at her and laughed. "Thanks for assaulting me. _Now_ I have grounds to get you banned from _all_ WWE shows," he said.

"You'd need proof."

Dean pointed to a security camera. "Yeah, I've got that."

"You can't keep me away from her! She's my child! I gave birth to her!"

"Listen very, _very_ carefully, Katie. If you so much as _whisper_ Molly's name, we'll get a restraining order before you can blink. Stay the fuck away from her or _else_."

Katie tried to hit him again. Dean wasn't one to hit girls unless it was part of a storyline, but this bitch was pushing it. He grabbed her arm to stop her. She dug her nails into his upper arm hard enough to draw blood.

He was worried he might actually have to break his own rule and kick this crazy bitch's ass, but she was suddenly pulled off of him.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're _doing_?!" An even _crazier_ bitch demanded.

Once again, Renee Young was saving his ass from a ring rat. Although Renee took things too far, even telling the world she was his girlfriend back in the day, Dean did appreciate it when she scared away the ring rats. She saw his arm and horror flashed on her face.

"Jesus... You actually drew blood! I'm calling security," Renee said. "And the cops."

"Forget it. I'm just going to go to my seat-" Katie had the nerve to say.

"You're _kidding,_ right?" Renee asked her. She pulled Katie into a slight submission she'd picked up from spending so many years around the wrestlers and restrained her until security showed up.

"What happened?" One of the guards asked.

"She attacked Dean Ambrose!" Renee supplied. She was even more worked up than Dean was.

Someone immediately called the police. Renee let security take over. "Are you okay?" A guard asked. "Do you need a doctor?"

"Maybe for a Rabies shot, but other than that, no. I'm fine," Dean replied.

"You're bleeding," he pointed out.

"This is nothing. I'm from CZW," he said with a smile. "I can clean myself up. I just want to let the cops document it first so I can make sure this bitch is banned forever."

A short while later, Dean had answered the questions, filled out the paperwork, and set up the restraining order for himself. Because Molly was a legal adult, they told him she'd have to put in her own request. He got himself easily cleared to wrestle and was backstage when he ran into Molly.

"Sire!" She gasped as she caught sight of some of the scratches not hidden by his sleeve. She pulled it up. "Holy shit! Who am I killing?" She demanded.

"No one," Dean said quickly. "Renee and security took care of it."

"Sire... Who attacked you?" Molly asked again.

"I sort of ran into Katie... She didn't like me telling her she couldn't come to the show tonight."

"That _bitch_ did this to you?!" Molly demanded. "Where's my fork? I'll rip her teeth out!"

"Down, Offspring. She's not worth it. I got a restraining order. You should, too."

Molly looked like she had other ideas. "Are you okay?" She finally asked.

"I'm fine. Are _you_?"

"Yeah... Good luck in your match, Sire." She hugged him and walked away. He had the urge to stop her, but he knew she needed to be alone. He just hoped she'd be alright.

 _ **MOLLY**_

It hadn't been hard to track her egg donor down. Katie was listed. Her house was a typically big, expensive place in a wealthy neighborhood. The community itself was gated. Molly, of course, snuck right in on foot, parking a few blocks away. She walked up to her house and stared at it. The house was everything Molly wasn't. It even had a white picket fence.

She knocked on the door uncertain of what to expect. It certainly wasn't what she encountered.

A girl who was maybe ten opened the door. She looked up at Molly and her jaw dropped. "Oh my God!" She cried. " _You're_ Molly Moxley!" She started bouncing, shaking her long black curls in excitement. "I wanna be just like you when I grow up! My mom says girls don't wrestle, but I don't care. You're so awesome! This is so cool!" She paused and called over her shoulder. "Dillon! _Molly. Moxley._ Is _here_!"

"Yeah, right," a boy said. He came to the door. He was a teenager with red hair familiar features Molly couldn't quite place. "Whoa!" He cried upon seeing her. "The brat's telling the truth!"

"Are you... Um...?" Molly was at a loss for words. She tried again. "Are you Katie's kids?"

"Yeah," Dillon replied. "How do you know our mom?"

"I _don't_ ," Molly said. "Not really, anyway. Is she here?"

"No, actually. She went to the house show..." He studied her before saying, "You can wait here for her if you want."

Molly considered this. She had expected a lot of things upon arriving here, but no matter what she found, she'd fully intended to beat the crap out of her mother for laying her hands on her Sire. She'd never, in all those scenarios she'd thought of, imagined that Katie might have other children... Molly's _siblings_... Children she'd raised instead of throwing them away.

"I don't know-" Molly began to protest.

" _Please_?" The little girl... her _sister..._ asked. She looked up at Molly with her eyes as big as saucers and added, "You're my _favorite_ Diva!"

Against her better judgement, Molly gave in to her curiosity. What mysteries lay beyond that door? What could her life have been like if Katie had kept her? What was this bitch's life like without her in it? "Okay," she said, "but only for a little while."

"Yay!" The girl cried out as she practically dragged Molly inside by her arm.

"That's Randi," Dillon said with an eye roll. "She's your shortest but biggest fan."

"I'm not short!" Randi protested.

"Sure, Kid. Whatever you say." He smiled at Molly. "I'm Mark Dillon, but no one calls me Mark except my mother."

Suddenly, Molly saw him in a new light. "Oh shit," she said before she remembered she probably shouldn't curse in front of the little person.

Randi apparently disagreed. She started giggling. "Mom _hates_ that word, but _I_ think it's funny," she said.

"She'll kill you if you say it again," Dillon reminded her. He turned to Molly. "Why'd _you_ blurt it out?"

"It's nothing," Molly lied.

Dillon raised an eyebrown at that. "Shorty, go get Molly a drink," he said.

"I'm. Not. Short!" Randi protested again. She kicked his leg out from under him and he stumbled onto his knees. "But now _you_ are!" She ran off, presumably to get Molly a drink. Molly had to admit, she was starting to like the kid.

Dillon stood up shaking his head. "What's _really_ going on?" He asked Molly.

"Where's your dad?" Molly asked.

"Texas. With his wife," Dillon said. "He doesn't know about me."

"Do you know who he is?"

" _You_ do, don't you?" He shrugged. "Mom told me years ago. My dad's the Undertaker."

"You look just like him."

"I know. That's why she finally admitted it to me. I guessed."

"Is that why you don't go by Mark? Because it's his name?"

"I'm named after my mom's married one night stand. It's weird. So yeah, that's why."

"He's a good man, Dillon. I'd trust him with my life."

"That's cool. I like him, really. I'm a total Taker fan... I just feel weird being named after him when he's not part of my life."

"Is Randi named after her father, too?" _Oh, God,_ Molly thought. _Tell me Randy never cheated on Corri! Otherwise, everything I ever believed is a lie and I'll destroy my best friends' lives when I tell them..._

"She's not Orton's," Dillon said, guessing her thoughts. "It's short for Miranda. She's not my former step-father's either, though... But Randi doesn't know that. It's why he left Mom. He found out she cheated on him when Randi had some medical issues a couple of months ago."

"She's tough. Is her dad a wrestler, too?"

"Yeah. Mom... Well, she sort of has a thing for wrestlers."

"I know." Molly sighed. What was she _doing_? She didn't belong in this house with these kids. This wasn't her life. She was kind of glad about that. Being raised by her father had been amazing, but a small part of her felt broken as she realized that although her mother had reproduced with three wrestlers, she'd only thrown _her_ away like trash.

"Her father's one of the Usos. Even mom's not sure which one. She can't tell them apart. Whoever it is, she never told him, either."

"What, was she collectting trophy kids? One for every wrestler she fucked?" Molly asked before she realized what she was doing. "I mean... Shit, I'm sorry. You're her son. I shouldn't talk about her to you like that."

He laughed. "It's okay. I asked her the same thing. I liked my step-dad. He was awesome. I was really mad when the truth came out about Randi. I flipped on her. She kicked my ass for it."

"She hits you?"

"Sometimes. It's no big deal. I shouldn't have said that to her."

Molly suddenly remembered something. "Hit her back," she said.

"What? I can't-"

"She'll never hit you again. Trust me."

He really studied her then. "You're my sister, _aren't_ you?"

"What? I-"

"I knew she had another kid before me! I found a birth certificate in the attic when I was nine. Mom hit me and told me never to ask about it again."

Molly sighed. What good would lying do? "Yeah," she admitted. "Katie birthed me. That's about _all_ she did."

"So she hit you, too, huh?"

"Yep. So I hit her back. She stopped."

"How old were you?"

"Four."

"Whoa... So... Mom and Dean Ambrose...?"

"Spawned me. Yep."

"She sets her goals high, huh?" He laughed. "What happened? Why don't you live with us?"

"She..." _Got rid of me,_ Molly thought. _Hated me, abandoned me, made new wrestler babies she found more acceptable..._ "My Sire raised me. He did an awesome job. We're really close."

"That's _so_ cool... Man, I can't believe _Molly Moxley_ is my sister!"

A glass crashed to the ground and shattered as a tiny person squeaked. "Molly's our _sister_?!" Randi asked.

"Um... Kind of," Molly admitted. She hadn't planned on telling either of them, especially not the little one.

" _Cool!_ " She bent down. "Oops... I made a mess." She tried to clean it up.

"Stop!" Dillon said urgently. "You might cut yourself." He picked the pieces of the glass up carefully.

"I could do it," Randi protested.

"Mom's gonna kill us... Did you _have_ to go with fruit punch? The carpet's staining." He looked terrified.

Molly suspected Katie hit him more than "sometimes." She shook her head. "Tell her it's blood and I sacrified a goat," she said. "She'll probably believe that."

"Are you leaving?" Dillon asked.

"I shouldn't be here," Molly said.

"Don't go! Please?" Randi begged.

"I'm sorry, Midget, but I need to. Look, the next time your mom tells you girls can't wrestle, just point out that _I_ do just fine. Don't listen to her. It's a dream worth following. And Dillon? The next time she gets mad, remember what I told you. And if _you_ don't do it, I _will_."

She let Randi hug her because the kid seemed to need it. _Yeah, definitely an Uso. They're cuddly, too,_ she thought. Then she turned and fled from the house that would never be her home and wondered why the fuck it hurt so much.

 _ **TRIXIE**_

Trixie had woken up feeling slightly better. The shock had worn off and now she was beginning to process the truth. Fred was her father. Fred, who she adored and had always been close to. Fred, who had been there for every important moment a father should be there for. She may not have ever called him "Dad," but he had helped raise her. He was an honorary father anyway.

"I shouldn't be so angry at them," she said to Keith that night, feeling guilty.

"Trix, you have every right to be upset," Keith assured her. "I'm not saying you should never forgive them, because that's just not who you are, but you should allow yourself some time to freak out if you need to. Talk to them when you're ready, not before."

Trixie nodded. "Thank you. I really needed you through all this."

"I'm always here, Trix." He hugged her.

"Call Claire. Apologize to her for me. You can tell her the truth if you need to. I don't care who knows now."

"Okay. If you need me, call me, alright?"

"I will." She kissed his cheek and walked away. When she pulled her phone out, she saw eleven missed calls from her mum, one from Fred, and six from Brandon.

Her mum had left a voicemail for every single call. They started off concerned, became borderline angry, and ultimately ended with desperation. "Trixie, luv, _please_ call us… Please!" She begged.

 _I should,_ Trixie scolded herself. _They need to know I'm okay._ Then she remembered Keith's words. She settled on sending both of her mothers a text message.

 _I'm safe. I don't want to talk right now,_ she texted.

She checked Fred's message next. _"Trix, I know you probably need more time… I just want you to know, when you're ready, I'm here if you need to talk. I love you, Kiddo. That hasn't changed."_

She decided she wasn't quite ready to talk to Fred yet. She checked the final voicemail, one message for Brandon's six calls.

" _Listen, Trixie… I'm sorry. I'm_ so _sorry for what my aunt said to you. I know you probably hate me and don't want to see me, but… I'm worried about you. I just wanted to see if you're okay…"_ Brandon hesitated. _"I love you, Trixie. Call me."_

She didn't blame Brandon for what had happened. Nikki was a terrible person in general. She'd been cruel to Trixie before. And yes, she'd dropped a bombshell and blown Trixie's world apart, but that wasn't Brandon's fault.

She dialed his number. Hearing his voice, she nearly started to cry again. "Brandon…" She said. "I really need to see you."

"Where are you? I'll be right there," Brandon said immediately.

Trixie gave him her location. When he arrived minutes later, she nearly ran into his arms. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to run off. I'm not mad at you."

"I'm glad to hear it, but don't apologize. You had every right to run," Brandon replied as he held her close.

"I love you… I have no idea who I trust right now, but I know I love you, and I trust you…" She shook her head. "I'm rambling."

"It's okay. I hate that she did this to you, Trixie… I never wanted you to be hurt."

"I know. She's a vile human being… But I needed to know. My parents should have told me the truth, not Nikki, but either way, it needed to come out."

"How can I help?"

"I don't know… Just be here, okay? Don't go away. I need someone I can trust right now. I don't know where Molly vanished to, but I already took up enough of Keith's time, and there's no one else…"

"I'm flattered, but what about Nicky?"

Trixie bit her bottom lip as she tried to find a way to answer that. She didn't want to lie to Brandon, but she also didn't want to tell on her cousin. Nicky had seemed so desperate… Maybe she was reading too much into his behavior.

"Did something happen?" Brandon asked.

"Yes," she admitted. "I went to Nicky first. I mean, he's like my brother. We've always been super closer. He's quiet and shy and bonded to me because we're only a couple of months apart in age. But when I showed up… He wasn't able to help. He didn't even _try_ to."

"That doesn't sound like Nicky."

"He didn't even realize I was upset. He was just caught up in his own issues…" She sighed. "I've never needed anything from him… I've always been really happy and well-adjusted, so I'm the one he leans on, and I am always there… And the one time… The _one_ time I needed him to be there for me, he was too drunk to notice!" She felt tears threatening to fall, but forced them back. She was sick of crying.

"Oh, honey…" Brandon kissed her and she felt slightly better, losing herself temporarily in the kiss. "I'm so sorry."

"I just don't know what to do… I'm worried about him, but I can't even focus on that because I'm so messed up myself… Keith took care of me, but it still hurt that I couldn't count on Nicky… Just don't do that to me, okay? Don't abandon me when I need you?"

"I'm here for you. I'm not going anywhere, Trix."

She nodded and kissed him again. When his lips were on hers, she didn't feel as lost. She clung to that and hoped she'd find her way out of this unfamiliar dark place soon.

 _ **KEITH**_

He went to find Claire as soon as Trixie left. It wasn't hard to do. He pulled her into his arms and said, "I'm sorry. Things got kind of insane."

"What the heck happened?" Claire asked after kissing him.

"Trixie found out who her birth father is."

Claire's eyes went wide. "Oh, fuck. That _is_ serious! Who is he?" She looked very interested suddenly.

"Don't tell anyone, okay? I know she said she doesn't care, but she does."

Claire nodded. "You can trust me. Really. I know I'm kind of a gossip, but this isn't just gossip. This is her life we're talking about, and Trixie's been really nice to me unlike _some_ people in your life. I'll take the secret to the grave if I need to. I'm just dying to know!"

Keith believed her. "It's Fred, Claire. As in Darren Young."

Claire gasped. "Holy shit! I didn't expect that."

"Yeah, neither did she. It really messed her up in the head. I've never seen Trix cry so much."

"That sucks… But he's a good guy. Why's she so upset?"

"He was there for her entire life and she never knew he was her father. It's a lot for her to process."

"That makes sense. You're a good cousin, you know, taking care of her like that." She kissed him.

"So, are we okay, then?"

"Yeah. We're fine. I'm sorry if I was kind of pissed when it happened…"

"It's fine. I just couldn't turn my back on her when she needed me."

"And that's why you're so sexy, Keith." She laughed. "I have a meeting tonight about what they want to do with me from here. I'll call you later and we can meet up after, okay?"

"You better," He replied. He gave her a final kiss before walking away.

He was heading back to his room when he heard something. Someone was beating their fists against the wall in anger. He rushed toward the sound and found an unexpected sight.

"Molly?" He asked. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Molly didn't appear to hear him. She kept throwing punches. Her knuckles were starting to bleed.

Keith grabbed Molly's fists to stop another collision. She looked at him then and for a moment, she didn't seem to recognize him. Then, she pulled back and said, "Let me go, Keith!"

"You're hurting yourself! What's wrong?" He asked, refusing to let go of her hands. "Molly, please… Just _talk_ to me!"

Then, to Keith's complete shock, Molly began trembling. Her entire body was shaking violently as she began to sob hysterically. She collapsed against him, her sobs growing worse as the full weight of her grief seemed to crush her.

"Fuck… Molly, what happened? Is it your dad? Did someone hurt you? What's going on?" He asked.

"She had other kids!" Molly screamed.

"What?" Keith asked.

"She had other kids, Keith! And she _kept_ them! She _raised_ them! They live in a pretty, perfect house I would have hated, but _still_ … She kept both of them! What's _wrong_ with me? Why was _I_ so easy to just throw away?" She buried her face in his chest, her breaths coming rapidly.

Keith figured out who she was talking about. "Oh, shit, Molly… Your mother?" He asked.

"I went to the house to kick her ass… She attacked the Sire. I wanted to make her pay… But then this kid answered the door… And she was this cute, innocent, happy little thing… And she has a brother… _I_ have a brother… And their dads are wrestlers, too, because once a ring rat, _always_ a ring rat, I guess… And… And… She _kept them,_ Keith!"

"Molly… I'm sorry."

"I never knew I'd care. I mean, I never needed her, you know? I have the Sire, and he's great. I didn't need that bitch! But… She kept _them,_ but she didn't keep _me_ … Like I'm defective or something…"

"You are _not_ defective, Molly!"

"Why would she do that? I always figured she just never wanted to be a mother, but… but that wasn't it. She just didn't want to be _my_ mother." She cried harder. Keith pulled her close until he had her wrapped completely in the safety of his arms.

"Molly, there is _nothing_ wrong with you. You're _perfect_! She's just a stupid whore who didn't know how lucky she was to have you."

"I hate her! I hate that she can make me feel this! I'm not some emo kid. I don't break. I don't fucking cry! I get pissed, I throw punches, and I get over it! But I _can't_ this time!"

"You said their dads are wrestlers, too?"

"Yes… Oh fuck. I have to tell them… They don't even know."

"Tomorrow. Tonight, just worry about yourself."

"I just… I never expected it to hurt this much, Keith… I never knew I'd even care… But when I saw those kids… My _siblings_ … It hurt so fucking bad! Like… Like I couldn't even _breathe_."

Keith hated seeing Molly so upset. All he could think about was how desperately he wanted to make her feel better. It surprised him when he realized he nearly kissed her, but then he remembered his girlfriend. He couldn't kiss Molly, but he needed to do s _omething_.

"Come with me," he said.

"Where?" She asked.

"My room. I'm going to clean up your hands and make sure they're okay, and then, we're going to stay up watching stupid Internet videos until you start laughing. We're also going to eat ice cream, because that's what you do when you're upset. My treat."

She rested her head against his chest and tried to calm herself before saying, "Okay."

"Okay?" He blinked. "No insult that it's a lame idea? No protest whatsoever?"

"No energy," Molly admitted. "I'm sick of feeling like this. So fix me, Doctor Keith. I'm trusting you."

"I've got your back, Molly. Forever."

She nodded. "So, okay. Let's do this."

They made it back to his room quickly. He pulled out a first aid kit and started taking care of her hands. He carefully wiped the blood away. Molly flinched slightly as he cleaned her wounds, but she didn't cry out. He was as gentle as possible while he made sure she wasn't seriously hurt. Only when he released her hands and looked at her did Molly lean over and kiss him.

It wasn't the first time they'd kissed. He knew the difference between Molly's kisses, and this one wasn't her way of trying to seduce him.

"It's okay," he whispered against her lips.

"I just needed to feel you," she whispered back.

"I know." There was nothing romantic in this kiss. It was just Molly's attempt to feel less broken. Keith told himself that made it okay, even though he wasn't sure he believed it.

After that, they snuggled together and watched funny videos online. Neither spoke of the kiss again, but Keith couldn't help but think about it more than he probably should have.

Keith never bothered to check his cell phone to see if Claire had called. He'd just have to come up with an explanation in the morning. They finally fell asleep together, with Molly's head resting on his chest. It was the most peaceful sleep either of them had had in months.


	19. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

 _ **KEITH**_

Waking up with Molly still asleep on his chest was a nice feeling. He stroked her hair gently. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

"Thanks," she mumbled.

"Anytime," Keith replied.

She ducked into his bathroom without another word. Keith made some coffee and had it ready when she came back out. He went to the bathroom and allowed her to caffeinate in private. When he came back out, Molly hugged him.

"I've got things to do... Impossible things," she told him. "I'll call you later, okay?"

He nodded. "Okay. If there's anything you need, I'm here," he promised.

"I know." She kissed his cheek before leaving his room.

Keith took a shower. He had barely finished getting dressed when someone started knocking on his door. He opened it and saw Claire standing on the other side.

"Where _were_ you last night?" Claire demanded.

"Here," Keith said. "I'm sorry I didn't call, but-"

"I called you a billion times, but you never picked up!"

"My phone was on vibrate... There was just something I had to deal with last night. An emergency."

"An _emergency_ that kept you from even checking on me?"

"Yeah... I'm sorry. I should have called. It's just, I had a hysterical girl on my hands and-"

"Trixie again?"

"No... Molly this time."

" _Molly_?! You blew me off for _her_?"

"She needed me, Claire. She was hurt."

"So call a fucking doctor! It's not your job to single-handedly save every single damsel in distress, Keith! You _have_ a girlfriend!"

"Claire, it's not like that. Molly isn't some random stranger-"

"No, she's a slut who hates me because she wants you for herself!"

"Do _not_ call her that! You're being ridiculous. Molly's my family."

"No, Keith, she's _not_. It was one thing when you blew me off for Trixie. That's your baby cousin who's pretty much _never_ upset and her world fell apart. I get that. But _Molly_? That skank is _not_ related to you and it's obvious she's jealous of me." Claire paused. "I don't want you hanging around with her anymore."

Keith blinked at her. Was she serious? He'd known Molly since he was five years old. He'd barely known Claire for ten minutes by comparison. "You don't get to make that call," he said firmly. "I love you, Claire, but I don't try to control who you hang out with, and you don't get to control that for me, either."

Claire looked stunned that he'd dared to tell her no. She regrouped. "Fine, but I don't trust her, Keith. So you'd better prove I can trust _you_."

"I've never cheated on you. I'm not that guy. That won't change."

Claire nodded. "Can we start over?"

"Sure."

"So, they are planning on keeping me around a little bit longer."

"That's great!"

"Yeah, I'm really excited... I'm going to work against Ginny for a few weeks. After that, they'll see how the fans are reacting and figure out how to proceed."

"I'm happy for you, Claire." He hugged her.

Claire smiled. "I'm just happy I get to spend more time with you."

"That's a perk, too," Keith agreed. He kissed her and tried to forget their earlier fight.

 _ **MOLLY**_

Molly was sitting in her hotel room trying to make her fingers dial the number she needed to call. She finally closed her eyes and pressed enter.

"Hello?" An annoyingly perky voice answered.

"Hey, Michelle," Molly forced herself to say calmly. "It's Molly."

"The mini Ambrose? Well, I haven't heard _your_ voice in ages! How are you?" Long-retired WWE Diva Michelle McCool asked.

"Stressed... Is Mark around?"

"Sure. Hold on, I'll get him."

A minute later, the familiar voice of the Undertaker said, "What's going on, Molly?"

"Hi Mark..." She paused. Molly wasn't one for beating around the bush, but how was she supposed to tell him this? She decided to be blunt. "Over a decade ago, you dropped your pants for a ring rat, and that one night resulted in you siring my half-brother. _Mazel tov._ "

Mark was silent for only a moment. "You're sure?" He finally asked without any real surprise in his voice. Mark had a lot of kids. What was one more? Molly figured that must be his logic.

"He could be your clone, Mark. Kid looks just like you."

"Where is he from?"

"Connecticut. His name's Mark, but he goes by Dillon... I don't know how old he is. He's a teenager."

"And he's your mother's?"

"Unfortunately... He seems like a good kid. They both do."

" _Both_?" Now he sounded nervous.

"Don't worry. Only one is yours. The little girl is a baby Uso... Which I haven't told them yet. My egg donor gets around."

"Is he happy where he is?"

"I don't think so... She has a hand problem, Mark. She used to hit me, and he admitted she hits him... The little one made a mess and he straight-up panicked."

She could practically hear Mark growling at that. "I'm getting on the next flight."

"Okay. I'll give you details when you get here." They hung up.

Molly didn't need to call the Usos. Johnny and Josh were both at the hotel with her. She went to Josh first and hoped he was the right brother. Josh had been divorced for years. If he was Randi's father, it wasn't a big deal. Johnny, however, was still married to Trinity. She might break up their marriage with this news. She suspected Gabe would never forgive her. Although she wouldn't have cared much before, Gabe had really grown on her. In fact, the entire New Legacy stable had become her family. It was strange how much she'd bonded with them, but it was hard not to love a bunch of goofballs who'd go all-out with karaoke just to make a broken girl smile. Trixie was already her best friend and Ginny... Well, she'd come to understand why Ginny always acted like such a bitch. The girl had issues, but she was gifted in the ring, and she was clearly a very strong person. Molly respected that and had begun to tolerate and even like the girl.

"What's up, Miss Molly?" Josh greeted her cheerfully. His brother, as it turned out, was also in his room.

"Okay... Here's the deal," Molly began. "One of you... Or maybe both of you, I have no idea... Someone slept with a ring rat about ten years ago."

Josh laughed. "Molly, you know you need to be more specific. I get around," he said casually.

"Her name was Katie."

"It doesn't ring a bell, but I don't always catch names..."

"You're gonna catch something _else_ if you keep that up," Johnny said, shaking his head.

Molly described her mother. "She lived in Connecticut," she added.

Johnny fell oddly silent as Josh replied, "Still nothing. What's this about?"

"She's my egg donor, and when I showed up at her house, this bouncy little mess of black curls answered the door. She's a tiny Uso named Miranda."

Johnny nearly choked on the water he was drinking. "Uce? You okay?" Josh asked.

 _Damnit,_ Molly thought. _It figures._

"I..." Johnny began. He paused. "About ten years ago, Trin and I hit a real bad patch... We separated for about three months. During that time, I slept with someone else... Just once. She was a die-hard fan, and I was depressed and she was talking me up and... It just kind of happened. It was a good thing, actually. Being with her made me realize I wanted Trinity and no one else, so I told Trin what happened and we worked through our shit... But the woman's name was Katie, and she was from Connecticut."

"Congratulations," Molly said dryly. "You have a daughter."

"Damn, Uce! I always thought it would be _me_ in this situation," Josh said.

"Do you think your mom will let me see her?" Johnny asked.

"I doubt it," Molly replied. "But do it anyway. The bitch hits her kids."

Johnny sprang up. "What?" He demanded. "She's hitting my kid?"

"And Undertaker's son."

"Damn!" Josh said. "She gets around!"

Johnny whacked him on his arm. "That's her daughter. Have some tact!" He scolded Josh as he motioned toward Molly.

"No need. I have no attachment to her and it's the truth," Molly said. "But those kids... They're nice kids, guys. They're kind of cool. In another world, I think I would have liked to know them... And they're just kids. They shouldn't be terrified all the time."

"Uce, we gotta do something about this," Josh said.

Johnny nodded. "I need a damn good lawyer," he said.

"Mark's on his way. Maybe you guys can work together," Molly suggested.

After they agreed this was a good idea, Molly decided to go back to her room for a bit. She needed to get her thoughts together. Like all WWE personnel, she had a Twitter account, but like her father, she refused to use hers. Still, she saw a notification that made her stop.

 _It was cool meeting you yesterday. I'd like to talk more sometime._ _-D_

It didn't take a genius to realize her brother had just tweeted her. Molly followed him just so he could message her, then messaged him.

 _Same. Here's my number. If shit gets bad, use it. -M._

She wasn't sure why she'd done that. She didn't want any part of her mother's life. The thing was, this kid was in danger, and for a reason she didn't quite understand, she felt compelled to help him.

 _ **CAYLA**_

Boot Camp was going well. She had decided to stay on for the duration. It almost kept her distracted from the fact that her daughter wasn't speaking to her... _Almost_. Trixie's silence left a void in Cayla that she hadn't felt in eighteen years.

She noticed Jordy standing off to the side of the Performance Center by himself. He looked upset. "Hey," she said gently. "Is everything alright?"

Jordy jumped. "Yeah... I mean... Not really," he admitted. "This place is just so intense... I want to be here so badly, but I know they're cutting people... This is it for me."

"You're twenty, Jordy. Even if you don't make the cut this time, you've got plenty of time to come back and impress them," Cayla said kindly. "You're very talented."

"You really think so?" He beamed at her. "I'm just working so hard, you know? I gave up everything to be here."

"Everything?"

"I quit my job. They wouldn't give me the time off. My girlfriend broke up with me because she says I'll never make it and I'm wasting my time."

"That's not very supportive of her. Don't worry, Jordy. The right girl will understand your passion for the business and will stand by your side proudly as you follow your dreams."

"You're so lucky, marrying Paige. She was born into this. She gets it."

"Yes, she does, and I'm the luckiest woman in the world." She smiled at him. "You'll find a love like that, Jordy. Just never give up on looking."

"My parents think I'm an idiot. They told me I'm not allowed to come crawling back when I fail. They won't let me be some free-loader..."

Cayla put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey... You haven't failed yet, and there's no reason to assume that you will. Your family's going to feel pretty bad about their words when you're famous and on TV right?"

"You're really optimistic."

"Sometimes... But more importantly, I see your potential, Jordy. You're a great guy and you're really talented. Don't let others crush your dreams. You _can_ do this, and no matter what happens, Boot Camp isn't the end of the road. If you don't make it, go back to the indies. Work your butt off and show the world how amazing you are! The indies are where the best talent starts, and often finishes. If WWE is your dream, _make_ them notice you. Be phenomenal. Don't do it to impress the guys in suits... Do it because you love it, and do it for the fans."

"You give really good pep talks."

"My sister and I did some of our best work on the indies. I'm incredibly proud of where we came from. It takes time to make it to WWE. Enjoy the journey for as long as you can."

He smiled. "Thanks, Cayla. I feel a lot better."

"I'm glad to hear it. If you ever need to talk, I'll listen."

He seemed much calmer as they headed inside together. He joined the other recruits while Cayla joined Corri.

"Hanging out with Jordy?" Corri asked.

"Yeah. He was having some issues," Cayla replied.

"He's a nice kid, but I'm worried... He's not as green as a few of the others, but I don't think he's going to make the cut."

"I hope you're wrong. Why the doubt?"

"He's not ready. He needs another few years to find himself before he can handle WWE life. Look at him. He's a toddler."

"He's twenty, not two," Cayla said as she shook his head. "There _is_ something naive about him, though. I'd hate to see him get hurt. I tried explaining this isn't the be-all-end-all of his career, but I'm not sure he believed me."

"They never do at this age... There's more. I'm worried he's too young for this life, but Paul's just convinced the kid's not going anywhere. He suggested sending him to EVOLVE for some better training."

"Paul's being a jerk. His training is solid. He's well-taught. He just needs a little work in the confidence area."

"Like I said, he needs to grow up a little... If things don't change in a day or so, he won't make the cut."

Cayla was rooting for Jordy, but she knew her sister was right. He needed a little more life experience before he tried to become a WWE Superstar. Cayla also knew why her sister was reacting so strongly to this situation.

"He's not Nicky," Cayla said gently.

"I know... But we threw him to the wolves before he was ready and he started _drinking,_ Cay. My straightedge baby boy is _drinking_ because of all the pressure here, and I _refuse_ to let that happen to someone else's kid," Corri said firmly. Cayla couldn't argue with her. Despite her reputation as a tough-as-nails trainer, Cayla knew her sister had everyone's best interests at heart. She genuinely loved all of the NXT wrestlers like they were her own children and she'd never do something she believed would endanger one of them. Unfortunately, that very likely meant not signing Jordy yet.

Cayla squeezed Corri's hand supportively before Corri took over the training session for the day.

 _ **MOLLY**_

When Mark arrived, you could feel it in the air, even without special effects. Molly rushed downstairs to meet him. Even after all these years, he'd hardly aged. His hair was white but he was in better shape than ever. She was suddenly hit with a memory of the first time she'd ever seen him.

 _The Undertaker was huge to a four-year-old, and she couldn't help but stare at him. Even at a signing, he radiated power. She reached out to touch him without realizing she was doing it._

 _"Dude! You're awesome, like death!" Molly had declared._

 _This was actually greeted with a surprised laugh from the Undertaker. He then turned his character up even more and had a long conversation with Molly she couldn't really remember as an adult. It had ended with him shaking her hand, annointing her his official sidekick for the rest of the autograph session, and Katie slipping hi m a piece of paper as she shamelessly flirted with him._

 _Her number,_ Molly remembered. Suddenly, the rest came flooding back to her. That night, Molly was locked in a closet while Katie did things she was too young to be overhearing with the Undertaker.

 _Holy shit,_ Molly thought. _No wonder I'm so fucked up. I forgot about that..._

 _Molly had scratched at the walls and even her own arms until they bled slightly in a desperate attempt to escape, but in the end, she'd curled up in a ball sobbing and passed out._

"You okay, Molly?" Mark asked.

"Huh? Oh, um..." Molly shrugged.

"What is it?"

"I just remembered I was sort of... well... _there_ when you hooked up with the bitch. Don't feel bad. I'm sure you had no idea."

He stared at her. "Are you serious?"

"She locked me in the closet. I'm guessing the music was so loud you didn't hear me trying to break out of there." She shook her head. "I was there for Dillon's conception. Ew."

"Jesus Christ, Molly! I _never_ would have-"

"I know." She kissed his cheek. "You're not that guy. She's just that big of a whore. You couldn't have known."

"I _should_ have known."

"Mark, although you are as awesome as your character, you're not _completely_ omnipotent... Close, but not quite. It's okay."

"It's far from it. So how do we make her pay for it?"

"Oh, I got her back." Molly grinned to herself as she remembered her mother's cry of shock the next day at breakfast when Molly suddenly jammed her fork into her mother's arm.

Mark seemed to know exactly what she'd done as a smile curved across his lips. Sometime later that week, Katie had abandoned Molly, and she wondered if the fork had been the last straw. If so, the fork had saved her from God knew how much further abuse.

"We have to liberate the kids, Mark," Molly said. "They deserve better."

"Well, duh," a voice Molly hadn't heard in years said pleasantly from out of nowhere. "That's why _I'm_ here."

Molly actually gasped at the sight of someone who hadn't worked for WWE in a very long time. "Sellie?" She asked.

"Come here, Kid." Sellie opened her arms and Molly immediately hugged her. Sellie had once been the McMahons' top lawyer. She specialized in custody cases, but handled just about anything because she never lost a case. Sellie had quit years ago in favor of saving her soul and using her skills to help abused kids, but one of her last cases for WWE had been getting Dean full custody of Molly.

"Did you think I didn't have a plan?" Mark asked.

"Bitch going down?" Molly asked Sellie.

"Bitch is _definitely_ going down," Sellie confirmed.

"But you don't work for the McMahons anymore."

"Nope. I work for whoever I damn well please, but when the Undertaker calls, you don't ignore it, and where there are abused kids, I'll always help."

Suddenly, Molly was certain things were about to change for the better. Then, her phone rang. She didn't recognize the caller ID but it was a Connecticut number, so she picked it up.

"Hello?" She asked.

"Molly?" A tiny voice asked.

 _Shit. If the midget's calling, something's wrong,_ Molly thought.

"Randi?" She asked.

"Uh-huh... I hope it's okay I called you. Mom's really mad at Dillon. I got sick and threw up and she was mad I made a mess and she tried to hit me but Dillon stopped her arm so she hit him and he hit her and then she got _really_ mad and she hit him again and he hit his head on the wall and there's blood and I'm scared and-"

Randi spoke so quickly, Molly could barely keep up with her. "Kid, slow down. Are you okay?"

"Uh-huh."

"Is Dillon?"

"I don't know. His head's cut and-"

Molly heard someone take the phone from the kid. "Seriously? You called _Molly_?" The voice asked. Molly was relieved because it sounded like Dillon. "Molly, I'm sorry she bothered you-"

"Are you okay, Dillon?" Molly asked.

"I'm fine. It's not a big deal. She shouldn't have bugged you-"

"Dillon, it _is_ a big deal. She said you're bleeding-"

Now the phone was taken from Molly. She would have protested, but rage radiated from Mark as he held the phone to his ear. "Hello, Dillon," he said cautiously. "I want you and your sister to lock yourselves in your bedroom. I know you don't know me, but I can tell you know who _I_ am. I'm coming to pick you both up. I promise that bitch won't lay so much as a finger on you ever again. Just keep the door locked until I get there." He paused. Finally, he nodded. "Hang on. I'm on my way." Mark hung up the phone. He looked at Sellie. "Ready?" He asked.

"Always," Sellie said. She looked at Molly. "Are you coming?"

"Absolutely," Molly said. "Let's go."

"Molly, have you told Dean about any of this?" Mark asked.

"Not yet," Molly admitted.

"It's time. Sellie, grab Johnny or Josh, whoever the father is-"

"Johnny," Molly clarified.

"Johnny. He should be here for his daughter. Molly, get in touch with Dean, then lead me to the house. This ends. _Now_."

Molly didn't dare tell him no right now. Mark was _always_ impressive, but this was even more true when he was angry, and knowing Katie had hidden his son _and_ mistreated him had left Mark more furious than Molly had ever seen him. Whatever happened next, the siblings she'd never suspected she had would be safe. That was the most important thing. The rest could be worked out later.


	20. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

 _ **MOLLY**_

Molly was talking to her Sire as Sellie was explaining things to Johnny. "Sire, I have been instructed by the King of the Almighty Undead to tell you something," Molly began.

"Mark's in town? What's up, Offspring?" Dean asked, instantly alert. The Undertaker only showed up when shit was about to go down.

"I went to see the Egg Donor, but she wasn't home. Instead, there was a tiny and bouncy Uso and a slightly angsty but overall pretty cool child of a Deadman."

Her Sire, as always, understood exactly what she was saying. "Oh, Offspring..." He sighed. "Are you okay? That had to be weird."

"I guess... It doesn't matter right now. I remembered some stuff, Sire... The Egg Donor... She has a hand problem."

"I know. You were bruised up when she left you with me. The doctors said the bruises could have come from a kid being a kid, but..." He hesitated. "I know what child abuse looks like. And then there were your old injuries that showed up on scans... It's part of what Sellie used to get me sole custody. I would have killed the bitch, but I had no idea where she lived."

"Speaking of the Avenging Lawyer, she's here. Mark brought her." She chose to ignore the fact that he'd known. It didn't really surprise her. He _always_ knew.

"He's going for custody of his kid?"

"Yeah. Tonight. Dillon... the kid... he's hurt. She hits them, too."

"What about the other one? You said it's an Uso?"

"Johnny's. He's coming, too."

"Coming? Molly, are you going with them?"

"Yes. Randi, the Uso baby, called me for help... They're just kids, Sire, and they don't know their own sires. Randi doesn't even know the man who raised her isn't her father... They're fans, and they trust me. I need to do this."

"Not alone. I'm coming."

"You have a restraining order against her."

"Fuck that. You need me."

Molly knew it was useless to argue. Five minutes later, she got in the car with her Sire, Mark, and Sellie. Johnny was driving behind them. Unsurprisingly, he'd brought Josh and Joe with him. The snobby gated community was about to be invaded by wrestlers. Under any other circumstances, it would have been funny.

A third car joined them at the gate. Sellie got out of the car and the passengers in that vehicle explained why they were there. The man had a badge. The woman with him flashed her identification. Molly realized Sellie had brought a social worker and a cop with their entourage of wrestlers. This was really happening. She was about to blow Randi's world apart. Was that fair to the kid?

 _It's better than leaving her to be abused,_ she told herself. She was vaguely bothered by the idea that the kid might grow to hate her because of this, but she could deal with that as long as she was safe.

They rang the bell. It was Katie who opened the door. Upon seeing everyone, she looked confused. "Molly?" She asked. "Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what is this about?"

"I'm not here for you," Molly said coldly. She felt her Sire squeeze her hand. It gave her strength. "We're here to liberate my siblings."

"Your...? I... You _know_?"

"That your ring rat ways resulted in two more offspring? Yeah, I know. And so do their sires."

Mark stepped out of the shadows, followed by Johnny. "I... _Mark_? What are you _doing_ here?" Katie stuttered.

"I've come for the son you neglected to tell me about," Mark said.

"You have no right! Where do you get off, showing up here in the middle of the night?!"

"You hit my son, and he's coming with me."

"What? Who told you that? I do _not_ hit my kids!"

"Then you won't mind if I come in and check on him?" The cop asked. "And if Ms. Raymond here talks to both of the children?"

"This is absurd!" Katie knew she couldn't stop a cop from going into her home, but that didn't mean she was happy about it. She growled out, "They're asleep."

The officer ignored her. "Kids? My name is Officer Stevens. I'm here to help. It's okay to open the door," he said.

The door opened an inch. Randi peaked her head out before seeing Molly and the others. She squeaked out, "Holy moly, it's _Wrestlemania_ in my house!" Then she opened the door the rest of the way.

Johnny's eyes filled with tears at the sight of her. "Hi," he said, dropping to his knees. "You must be Miranda... I'm-"

"Jimmy Uso! Omigod-omigod- _omigod_!" Randi shouted. Apparently, _she_ could tell the Usos apart. She ran up to him and shouted "Uce!"

"So!" Josh replied because Johnny seemed stunned into silence.

Randi proceeded to greet everyone, including Mark, with huge hugs. Even he cracked a slight smile at that.

"You brought all your friends!" Randi said as she hugged Molly. "And your dad!"

Molly nodded. "Yeah... We're here to help you guys. Where's Dillon?"

Randi took Molly's hand and led her into the room. Dillon sat on the bed clutching his head. He looked up at them sadly. Mark stiffened when he saw him.

"Are you alright?" Mark asked.

Dillon stared at him. Finally, he said, "Yeah, I'll be okay."

"Let me see your head," Officer Stevens said. He checked the wound. "It stopped bleeding, but you need to see a doctor, just in case you have a concussion... Can you tell me what happened, Dillon?"

Dillon hesitated. He looked behind them. Molly turned, knowing Katie must be there. "It's okay, Dillon," Molly said. "You don't have to be scared."

"I hit my head," Dillon said quickly.

"How?" Officer Stevens pushed.

"My..." He looked at Molly and that seemed to help. "My mother hit my head into the wall."

"Son, I know we literally just met, but I want you to come with me," Mark said.

Dillon's eyes went wide. "Are you serious?" He looked at Randi. "I... I can't."

"Hey, Baby Girl," Joe said to Randi, figuring out why Dillon was hesitating. "How would you like to come with us tonight?"

Randi turned to Katie. "Can I, Mommy?" She asked.

"No! You most certainly may _not_!" Katie declared.

Molly wondered if they could use Joe to distract Katie. Surely she'd love to add Roman Reigns to her list of conquests. If he turned on his Samoan Smolder, Katie would probably be too busy dry-humping him to notice them leaving with the kids.

"You have no right!" Katie continued yelling. "These are my children! You have no proof!"

"Have you _looked_ at them?" Josh demanded. "They look just like their fathers."

"I am a good mother! You can't take them away from me!"

"Good mothers don't beat up their kids," Dean said. "And I have Molly's medical records to prove it's a theme with you."

"You can't take them! They're mine!"

 _She never would have fought like this for me,_ Molly thought.

"Molly, tell them! I'm a good mother!" Katie begged.

"Are you serious? You abandoned me. I barely remember you. And what I _do_ remember is you hitting me and locking me in closets so you could-" She looked at Randi and stopped. "Your record isn't good."

"Molly... Baby, please, you can't let them do this to me."

Molly was fed-up. "You know what? Come with me," Molly said. She dragged Katie away, giving the rest of them time to deal with the kids.

"Oh, Molly... Please, let me explain," Katie began.

"Just tell me this... Why'd you keep them?" She had to ask. She needed to understand...

"I... They were easier."

"They didn't fight back. Got it."

"Molly, you're just like your father... I didn't know what to do with you."

"So why try so hard to find me now?"

"I wanted to know you."

"Tell the truth! For _once,_ cut the crap and tell me the truth!"

"I need money," Katie admitted.

Molly stared at her. She wasn't surprised, but it was still hard to hear. "Go on," Molly said.

"My husband left me. He won't pay child support."

"She's not his kid."

"I have nothing. Money is running low. My parents cut me off when he left. Miranda has medical bills."

"I'd pay for the kid. So would her father. But I won't give _you_ a dime."

"Molly-"

"We're done here."

Ms. Raymond guided Randi and Dillon out. "You can't take them! You can't prove they are their fathers," Katie insisted.

"We'll be running tests for that," Sellie said firmly. "In the meantime, the children will be in the custody of Ms. Raymond."

"You can't take my babies!" Katie tried to reach out to stroke Dillon's cheek. He flinched. Molly grabbed her hand and twisted her arm until Katie cried out in pain.

"Try that again and I'll _break_ it," Molly said.

"Offspring, not in front of the cop," Dean said, but his face said he firmly agreed with her words. She released Katie's arm reluctantly.

"Mommy... What's going on?" Randi asked. "Is it true? Is Dad not my real father?" She looked confused as well as vulnerable. Molly was tempted to scoop her up in her arms and tell her it would be okay, but she had no idea where the impulse came from. She barely knew the kid and was not an overly maternal person.

"Miranda is sick! She needs me," Katie said.

"Whatever medical help she needs will be provided," Ms. Raymond said.

"What's wrong with you, sweetheart?" Johnny asked gently.

"I get sick a lot," Randi said awkwardly. "And when I get cut, the bleeding takes a really long time to stop. It's called Van Willy...um... Van Willy... What's it called again?"

It was Dillon who clarified, "She's got Von Willebrand Disease... It's a pretty rare bleeding disorder, but it's manageable if she's careful. As for her getting sick, the doctors don't know what's causing it. She's had stomach issues for a couple of years."

"We'll find out," Johnny promised. He hugged her and looked so natural holding this little girl, Molly knew he'd be a great father to her. He was clearly already in love with the kid.

"I have rights!" Katie cried.

"These _kids_ have rights," Sellie said. "And those rights include not being abused. Their medical records should be all the proof I need." Softer, so the children didn't hear her, she added, "When I'm through with you, these kids will never have to see you again."

Johnny carried Randi out. She looked at her mother in tears, but clung to him. Finally, she buried her face in his shoulders. Molly could hear him singing a lullaby she recognized softly to soothe her. It was Samoan. Joe had sung it to her a few times over the years.

Dillon walked out behind Mark. He refused to look at Katie as he left. Finally, Molly looked at the woman who'd brought her into the world and said, "I'm the luckiest of the three of us... And I'm going to make damn sure you never hurt them again. If you try to contact me, I'll do a lot more than use a fork on you. Stay out of our lives." With that, she walked away from Katie for what she hoped would be the very last time.

 _ **TRIXIE**_

Trixie couldn't sleep, so she was wandering the streets near the hotel. She heard a struggle and instinctively headed toward it.

"Why don't you go rape someone like your father, Danny?" An older wrestler was taunting him.

"Yeah, it's the only way you'll get any!" Another added. Trixie recognized them. They'd been on the main roster for a decade or so and were both eternally midcarders.

"Baby rapist!" The first shouted. He was restraining Danny, but Danny shifted easily and hit him square in the jaw. Both wrestlers now attacked him, kicking him repeatedly as Danny tried to escape. They simply kicked him harder.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Trixie shouted.

The two older guys jumped away from him. "He deserves it," one mumbled. "He's a piece of shit like his rapist father."

"He's a _human being_ and you need to back the hell off of him! He isn't his father."

"Suit yourself if you wanna get raped," the other one said. They left.

Trixie knelt beside him. "Danny? Oh my God... Are you okay? You're _bleeding_!" She said in horror.

Danny looked at her in confusion. "Why the fuck do _you_ care?" He asked. "I was _awful_ to you."

"Just because you bullied me doesn't mean someone has the right to bully you," Trixie said. She pulled out a tissue and tried to wipe some of the blood off of his head.

Danny really looked at her then, as though trying to figure her out. "You're not afraid of me?" He asked. "Everyone else is looking at me like I'm out to violate every girl in sight."

"You aren't your father, like I said to those idiots. And how can anyone expect you to be a good guy if no one ever gives you a chance?"

He touched her arm as she applied pressure to another wound. "Thank you," he said finally. "I don't deserve it."

"Maybe now you'll be nicer to people," Trixie said. "Come on. Let's get you to a hospital."

"I can manage."

"Not by yourself, Tough Guy. I'm going to make sure you get taken care of." The hospital was only a few blocks away. Trixie walked with him. Danny stumbled a couple of times, but mostly managed to walk by himself. Trixie kept her word and stayed until the sun came up and Danny was released.

"I'm sorry," Danny said suddenly.

"For what? It was my idea to stay," Trixie said.

"For being such a dick to you. You didn't deserve it."

Trixie smiled at him. "See? You _already_ learned something! Just keep applying the lesson and we're good... Friends?"

Danny shook his head. "You are one unusual girl, Trixie... Fine. Friends."

Trixie was exhausted when they got back to the hotel, but she felt better. For the first time in days, she felt like herself again. She knew who she was. She knew who her family was. It was time to stop avoiding them. She curled up on her bed and took a nap, promising herself she'd touch base with all _three_ of her parents later that day.


	21. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**

 _ **NICKY**_

His laptop was mocking him. Nicky stared at the screen as the cursor blinked. No matter how hard he tried, the words wouldn't come. His history paper was due by the following morning, but he couldn't focus. He sighed. This was useless.

A knock at the door made him jump. He opened it and relaxed when he saw who was on the other side. "Lucas!" He said. "What's up?"

Lucas looked at Nicky with concern. "We were supposed to meet up for a dance lesson, but you look pretty busy," he said.

"Damnit! I'm sorry. I totally forgot."

Lucas took in the mess on Nicky's bed and said, "Is everything okay, Nicky?"

"Yeah... I mean... No, not really. I have a major paper due in history, but I can't focus."

Lucas looked sympathetic. "What's it on?" He asked.

"The Civil War."

Lucas grinned at him. "Well, I just might be able to help with that!"

"Seriously?"

"I've got a few rednecks on Dad's side of the family, and they _love_ the Civil War. I'm practically an expert. Besides, I love history. I got straight A's in all of my history classes."

"You don't mind helping me?"

"Not at all!"

"Oh my God, Lucas, you're a life saver! I've been going nuts trying to balance school and wrestling and it's just so much..."

"Maybe you should slow it down a little."

"I can't. Not right now."

"Well, at least talk to someone. If you're under all this pressure, you need help once in a while."

"Like a shrink?" He was suddenly embarrassed. Did Lucas think he was nuts or something?

"Yes, like a shrink. There's no shame in it, Nicky. My dad used to have a pretty bad Depression issue, but he got help and it saved his life."

"Bo Dallas had Depression?" Nicky felt stupid as soon as he asked. That had come out so rude. And Taylor Rotunda was a real person, unlike Bo Dallas. He was human. Of course he might get depressed.

Lucas wasn't offended, however. Instead of getting upset, he laughed. "It's hard to _Bo-lieve,_ right?" He asked as he continued to laugh. He turned more serious, but still smiled at Nicky as he said, "My dad struggled with Depression for years. It was bad. My uncle Win still won't talk about it because it scared him so much. Anyway, Dad got help, and he's okay now. Mom helped him a lot. It takes a strong person to admit they need help, Nicky. Don't ever be ashamed if you get overwhelmed." He changed the subject then, sitting on Nicky's bed with his textbooks. "Now, let's write the best Civil War paper your professor has ever seen!"

Nicky decided he'd talk to one of the therapists WWE kept on staff and see if they could help him. Lucas made him feel less pathetic about needing help. He also felt like he might stand a chance of getting this paper done now. He realized that for the first time, he had a real friend in WWE. Sure, he had Trixie and Keith, but they were family. Ginny was his brother's Godsister and Molly was practically family, too, but other than them, he hadn't really had anyone he could call a friend until now. It was kind of nice.

 _ **TRIXIE**_

When she finally woke up, it was after ten. Trixie never slept that late. She quickly showered and headed to her first stop of the day.

Fred answered the door. He looked confused but happy to see her. "Are you okay, honey?" He asked.

Trixie hugged him, stunning him into silence. "I'm sorry. I just needed time," she said.

"It's alright, sweetheart. Come on in." He led her into the room.

"I'm not sure what to call you now," Trixie admitted.

"Whatever makes you comfortable, Trixie."

"I... Can we do something today?"

"Of course. What do you want to do?"

She looked at him and smiled like a little girl. "This is our last day in Connecticut... Can we go to the aquarium?"

Fred laughed and it made her feel warm inside just like it always had. "If that's what you want to do, Trixie-girl, I'd love to."

"You took me to this aquarium when I was eight, and it was just you and me... I think we need to do it again... Now that I know... I mean, you were just my awesome Uncle Fred then... Now... You're my dad, and I figured you could take me as my dad."

Fred looked like he might cry at her words. "I'd be honored to."

She looked at him. "You were _always_ my dad, you know. You may not have had the title, but you were. And I know I freaked out, but I love you for everything you've done for me."

"I love you, too." He hugged her.

In a little girl voice, she said, "Now... Take me to see the fishies! And the otters! And just animals in general!" They both started to laugh and Trixie relaxed. Nothing needed to change, even if it felt like everything had.

 _ **MOLLY**_

Sellie worked quickly. The DNA results came back fast, confirming what they all already knew. Sellie immediately drew up paperwork so Mark could take Dillon with him and Johnny could take Randi.

"You can't separate us," Dillon protested. "I'm all Randi has. She doesn't understand what's going on."

"Do, too," Randi argued. "Jimmy Uso is my real daddy... Mom told me Dad left because I was sick, but that's not true, is it?"

Molly refused to let anyone lie to the kid. "No, it's not," she said. "It isn't your fault your dad left. He found out your mom lied."

" _Our_ mom," Randi corrected her.

"Really, Midget, you can keep her... Anyway, Johnny... That's Jimmy's real name... He can and will take really good care of you."

"What about Dillon?"

"His dad is the Undertaker... Mark."

"I know, but will I still see him?"

"Of course you will," Johnny said. "He's your brother, your _uso_ , and I'd never keep you from him. Family's everything to me."

Molly noticed Sellie talking to Ms. Raymond and looking concerned. She looked more like the Sellie she was used to, in a _Captain America_ t-shirt and jeans. Her hair was back in the pigtails she'd worn for as long as Molly had known her. Sellie had never been a typical lawyer and she only dressed like one when absolutely necessary. The concern on her face didn't match her casual outfit.

"What does this say to you?" Sellie asked Ms. Raymond as Molly approached. She had medical records in front of her.

"Hmmm... Admitted... _Forty-three times_ in _two years_?" Ms. Raymond asked in horror.

"Look at the symptoms."

"Stomach pain, vomiting, including vomiting blood, discoloration of urine, blood in urine, no obvious cause for any of it... No diagnosis. Usually cleared up within a few days of being admitted on its own..."

"If it looks like a duck, and talks like a duck..."

"You're thinking Munchausen by proxy?"

"Aren't _you_?"

"I'd say so..."

Molly realized what they were discussing. "Wait... You're saying that _bitch_ actually poisoned the kid?" She demanded.

"I'd bet my comic book collection on it," Sellie replied. Considering her collection was her most prized possession, that was saying something. "My guess is she saw the kind of attention she got when Randi was diagnosed with Von Willebrand and decided to milk the kid for as much attention as possible."

Ms. Raymond nodded. "Sellie, my friend, I think you just won your case," she said. "There's no way a judge will let her have these kids back if we can prove Munchausen by proxy."

"I _always_ win, Margo," Sellie said with a laugh. "You should know that by now." She shook her head. "Those poor kids..."

"Johnny is on the road a lot, though. With Miranda's medical issues, that may be a problem."

"His wife's home most of the time, and if that fails, Mark is my backup plan. He's taking her brother in. If he agrees to take Randi in part time, the kids will still get to see each other a lot and Randi won't have to be on the road all the time. She can stay with Johnny and Trinity when Johnny's home."

"You've thought this through."

"I always do."

"I want her to pay," Molly said suddenly. "Losing them isn't enough. That bitch belongs in jail for what she did. Randi's just a baby... She's _ten,_ for shit's sake!" She'd found out their ages earlier that day. Dillon was about to turn sixteen.

"I'm going to do everything I can to make that happen, Molly," Sellie promised, "but that will take work. The first step is getting their fathers sole custody and getting the kids restraining orders so she can't hurt them anymore."

Molly's reply was cut off when Gabe rushed into the hospital with Trinity running after him trying to stop him. _Oh, boy,_ she thought. _This should be interesting._

"Is it true?" Gabe asked Johnny, the hurt clear on his face. "Did you cheat on Mom?"

"Gabriel, I _told_ you, it was when we were separated," Trinity insisted. "And I knew all about it. We just had no idea that he had a child as a result."

"I can't _believe_ you! You're always telling me that a man doesn't cheat on his wife!"

"Gabe... I'm sorry," Johnny said. "I should have told you."

"That you were a hypocrite? Yeah, that might have been good to know!"

"Gabriel, stop speaking to your father like that," Trinity said harshly.

"He deserves it!" Gabe insisted.

He might have said more, but a tiny voice squeaked out, "Oh my gosh! You're Naomi! I've seen your old matches. You're so cool! I wanna be a wrestler just like you when I grow up! Like you and Molly and the girls who _really_ wrestle, not just the dumb ones walking boys to the ring! Wait, you're married to Jimmy... Are you my _step-mom?_ " Randi looked stunned at her realization.

Trinity couldn't help but smile, just like everyone who met this kid. "Yes, sweetie, I am. My name's really Trinity," Trinity said kindly.

"Jimmy Uso's my dad, Naomi's my step-mom, Jey Uso is my uncle, Roman Reigns is my cousin, Molly Moxley's my sister, her dad is Dean Ambrose, my big brother's father is the _Undertaker_ , and _you're_ my big brother, too! I've got the coolest family _ever_!" Randi informed Gabe.

All of Gabe's anger suddenly vanished. He swept Randi up in his arms and proclaimed, "Yeah, Kiddo, you totally do!"

Molly smiled. Randi was one magical kid. She began talking excitedly to her newest brother and Molly joined them. "That's Randi, short for Miranda," Molly told him. "She's very shy," she added jokingly.

Sellie joined them and said, "I've got a surprise. I figured you and Dillon could use a good night after all the stress," she told Randi. "I called up Triple H and told him I want seats to _Smackdown_ tonight. He was surprised, but happy to hear from me and he promised me tickets for me and the two of you."

Dillon suddenly looked interested. "Really?" He asked. "That's awesome! We watch all the time, but Mom never let us go with her to shows."

 _She probably didn't want you in the way in case she wanted to fuck someone,_ Molly thought bitterly.

"You mean I get to see my dad wrestle!? And my brother and sister?" Randi asked.

"Yeah, I'm on the card," Molly said.

"Us, too," Johnny confirmed.

"I'm wrestling with the Orton boys _,_ " Gabe said.

Randi looked even more excited. Molly could see wheels spinning in Gabe's head. "I have an idea," he said to her.

"Should I be concerned?" Molly teased him.

"You know how Keith lives to prank all of us? I have an idea for revenge, and I think the kids will _love_ it!"

Molly was intrigued in spite of herself. "Okay, Uso... I'm in," she said. "What's the plan?"

 _ **KEITH**_

Gabe, Nicky and Keith had an open challenge that night. They'd been issuing those a lot. It was the same routine. Some or all of the members of the New Legacy would gather in the ring, proclaim themselves better than everyone else, challenge the legends, and beat the crap out of whoever answered the call, always by cheating. The brothers and Gabe stood in the ring now looking arrogant. "We're the best guys in the business right now," Keith declared. "If any of you _losers_ calling yourselves legends want to prove us wrong, come on out here and try! I _dare_ you!"

He dropped the microphone as he and his partners waited for the Prime Time Players' music to start. It was supposed to be Fred, Thaddeus, and Ron (R-Truth) of all the random people, against the three of them, but their music never began. Instead, the lights went out. Keith was confused as he realized the temperature dropped about twenty degrees... And then, he heard the gong.

 _What the... Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck, there is_ no way _this is happening right now!_ Keith thought as the crowd began getting over their shock and cheering wildly.

The lights came back on in time for Keith to see Nicky's eyes widening in horror as the Undertaker _(the fucking Undertaker!)_ grabbed him by his throat and chokeslammed him. Gabe had run out of the ring and vanished. As the Undertaker came toward Keith, he knew he was screwed. The crowd was cheering and going more insane than they had in years. Undertaker hadn't been seen in a WWE ring in nearly two decades. No one had expected him to show up at a random _Smackdown_ taping in fucking Connecticut of all the places.

 _Fuck it,_ Keith thought. _It's not like I can run. Might as well give the people what they want._ He sold his shock and fear, which wasn't hard to do, as the Undertaker approached him. Keith shook his head defiantly until the Undertaker picked him up roughly and flipped him upside-down. _Fuck. I_ knew _it was gonna be a fucking tombstone,_ Keith thought. Seconds later, he hit the mat. Undertaker pinned him and stuck out his tongue just like he had in the old days. Part of Keith marked out. He could hear good old J.R. in his head saying, _The boyhood dream has finally been realized!_ He'd just gotten tombstoned by the Undertaker. It _was_ actually kind of awesome.

After Undertaker took an appropriate amount of time to let the fans celebrate his shocking visit, he walked out to his music. Keith and Nicky had both watched enough Taker matches as kids to know they weren't supposed to get back up. They waited for referees as well as Lucas and Molly to come help them backstage.

When they got backstage, Nicky exclaimed, "Did that _really_ just happen? I mean... Oh my _God,_ right?" He was still partially in shock.

"Dude! You should have seen your _faces!_ " Gabe proclaimed between fits of laughter.

" _You_ did this?" Keith demanded.

"Kind of," Gabe admitted. "You guys were like 'what the shit?' And I escaped while you guys were busy looking like _this!_ " He made an exaggerated horrified face and held it for a minute. Now Molly was laughing, and so was Ginny. Lucas tried to look sympathetic. Trixie had the night off and so did Brandon, so they wouldn't get to see this until it aired on television in a couple of days.

"Dude," Keith said, "it is _so_ on!" He didn't admit aloud that he was secretly impressed Gabe had punked him and Nicky so well. He was going to have to up his game to save his reputation as the prankster of the stable.

"Bring it, Orton! _I'm_ the new Prank Ninja!" Gabe declared. "Fear me! _Mwahaha_!"

"An evil villain laugh? Seriously?" Ginny asked, but she was still laughing.

"Sometimes, you just need to let out a good _mwahaha_ ," Gabe said. "I stand by my choice."

"You're such a dork." She rolled her eyes and walked away.

"She wants me," Gabe said confidently. This made Molly laugh harder, and now Lucas was laughing, too.

Nicky shook his head. "You messed with the wrong guy," he told Gabe. "Keith is undefeated. You're screwed now."

"Damn right," Keith said. "Nice knowing you." He immediately began plotting Gabe's demise, even though the prank had actually been pretty awesome. This might just be fun.


	22. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO**

 _ **KEITH**_

It was very early in the morning, but Keith couldn't sleep. He decided to drag his brother out of bed to hit the gym before getting breakfast and catching their flight. He knocked on Nicky's door. Nicky opened it looking out of it, but then again, he'd never been a morning person.

"We're going to the gym," Keith informed him.

Nicky rolled his eyes. "Dude, it's _six_ in the morning!" Nicky protested.

"Crossfit?" Keith joked.

"Ugh! No. You're turning into Colby with that shit."

"I'm kidding. The hotel gym is fine."

"This is cruel and unusual punishment."

"I'll buy you coffee."

Nicky grumbled. "Fine," he said. He was still wearing the t-shirt he'd had on the previous night and had on sweats. "Screw it. I can work out in this."

They headed toward the hotel gym. Keith was surprised to see Claire standing inside and talking on her cell phone. Something made him hesitate to step inside.

"Don't worry, Baby," Claire said. "It's all going great. Triple H looks at Randy like family, so he'll do anything to keep Keith happy. As long as I've got my own personal Orton as a plaything, I'm on my way to becoming a full main roster member..." She giggled. "Jealous? You know I'll always have time for you, and I'm doing this for _us..._ Or should I say doing _him_?" She paused. "Yeah, I've messed around with a few of the other guys. I mean, I'm here, and if it falls through with my sexy but very naive Orton, I need a backup, right? One way or another, I'll get to the top in this company."

Keith's mind was going a million miles a minute. Claire had just confessed to cheating on him. Worse, she'd just admitted she'd been using him this entire time. Maybe he was misunderstanding her? He was only hearing one side of the conversation, after all.

"It's pathetic," Claire continued. "The poor doof actually thinks I'm in love with him! I mean, he's a great lay, but I could never love someone so easy to manipulate."

There was no misinterpreting _that_. Keith's heart felt like it was breaking. How could he have been so _stupid_? He'd told her he _loved_ her! Was he so desperate for love that he'd been blind to her true intentions?

Nicky tensed beside him. "Excuse me," he said. "I need to go kick her ass now."

Keith grabbed his arm. "She's a girl," he pointed out.

"She used you! I won't let her get away with hurting you. You're my _brother_."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I'll handle her without violence." It was odd seeing Nicky like that. Keith usually beat up the people who hurt his brother, not the other way around.

"I guess we're not working out."

"No..." Keith pulled money out of his wallet and gave it to his brother. "I need to deal with this, but I promised you coffee. Get that and get breakfast. I'll catch up with you later."

Nicky put a comforting hand on Keith's shoulder. "I'm sorry. Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine." He gave Nicky a hug and sent him on his way.

Taking a deep breath, Keith opened the door to the gym just as Claire hung up. "Keith!" She said in surprise. "What are you doing here so early, baby?" She asked.

"Don't call me that," he said coldly.

"I... Keith, what's wrong?" She asked.

"I heard, Claire. I heard _everything_."

"Keith-"

"This ends. Now. Find another _plaything_."

"It's... I..."

"You went so crazy accusing me of cheating on you when _you_ were the one screwing everyone else behind _my_ back! I'm _not_ your toy, you bitch!"

She dropped the innocent act. "Ugh! Whatever, Keith! I'll just find someone else. Nicky's single."

"Touch my brother and I'll let Molly rip out your throat." He looked deep into her eyes. "We're _done_ here." He walked away. It wasn't until he ran straight into Randy that he let his emotions hit him.

"Keith? What's wrong?" Randy asked, seeing the broken look in his eyes.

"I'm an idiot," Keith said. "I thought... I thought she loved me..."

Randy paused. "Oh, Keith... You got Diva'd." He put an arm on Keith's shoulder. "It happens to every Orton man eventually... You meet a beautiful female wrestler and fall under her spell only to discover she's out to use you to further her career. I've been down that road... A lot."

"What did you do?" Keith asked.

"I swore off Divas... And then I met your mother." He grinned. "The right girl is out there, Keith. You'll find her eventually. It may hurt getting there, but it will be worth it when you do."

Keith nodded. "Thanks, Dad... I just need..."

"To be alone? I get it. I'm here when you want to talk."

Keith nodded. He was relieved his father understood. He hugged him and headed back to his room. Only when he was inside did he finally cry.

 _ **NICKY**_

Since he was up early, Nicky decided to stop by the shrink's office for a minute. He looked up when Nicky knocked on his open door. "Hello, Nicky. What can I do for you?" He asked pleasantly.

"You know who I am?" Nicky asked.

"It's my job to know." He smiled. "I have an open door policy for you guys. Anyone can stop by any time they need to, and it just so happens I'm free right now. I'm Doctor Cove. You can come on in if you want to."

Awkwardly, Nicky walked in, closing the door behind himself. "Have a seat, Nicky. I don't bite. What can I do for you?" Dr. Cove asked.

"I... I'm not sure, really," Nicky admitted. "Someone suggested I might want to talk to someone... But I have no idea what to say."

"That's okay. Just start talking about whatever's on your mind."

"Well... um... I'm in school, and I'm having trouble focusing. It's just, there's so much to do, and I'm so busy here... I feel like I can't get it all done."

"I can give you Adderall to help you focus and Xanax to help with the anxiety. What else is going on with you?"

Nicky was startled. He'd said very little to this guy and he was already suggesting drugs as a solution. Then again, if nothing else was working, maybe he _needed_ a prescription to help him. If a doctor wanted him to use it, what was the harm?

"I get down sometimes," Nicky admitted. It's not a big deal."

"Depression can be _very_ serious, Nicky. If left untreated, it can destroy a person. Let's start here... You come talk to me at least once a week and we'll figure out what's causing the trouble. If I think you need medication to help manage that, we can revisit it, but for now, we'll treat the anxiety and your attention issues... It could be ADHD."

"I was never that kid," Nicky said. "Are you sure?"

"Not all ADHD cases are the same, but your lack of focus is a strong sign."

Part of Nicky thought he should protest this instant diagnosis, but he was eighteen and this guy was a doctor. Chances were he knew more about the situation than Nicky did. He was so desperate for something to help, he decided to stop overthinking the situation.

"Okay," he said. "When can I make an appointment?"

Dr. Cove gave him his prescriptions and scheduled a real session. Nicky left to fill the prescriptions at the nearest pharmacy. He hoped things would start to get easier now that he was seeking treatment.

 _ **CORRI**_

It was decision time. Corri looked at her boot campers and sighed. "You're all great," she informed them. "Unfortunately, the time has come to make a decision. Triple H and I have discussed this in detail and we are only able to take three of you right now. To the rest of you, I'm sorry you can't stay, but I hope you learned from this experience. I'd love to see you back here in the future." She paused. "Congratulations to Sabrina, Josh, and... Aaron! Welcome to NXT!"

The three who'd made it started cheering. Some of their friends congratulated them. A few others stormed off. It was Jordy who caught Corri's eye. He looked lost as he stared at her.

"Jordy, I'm sorry," Corri said gently, taking him aside. "We only had three slots and we just didn't think you were ready yet. I expect you back here in a few years though."

He said nothing. Cayla joined them. "Remember what I said, Jordy," she said. "Go do amazing things. Make them notice you." She gave him a hug. "Good luck."

Jordy nodded numbly. "Thank you, Cayla," he said. He stared at his feet as he walked away.

"I hope he'll be alright," Cayla said.

"I don't know, Cay," Corri said. "I have a bad feeling I just can't shake... I hope he doesn't hurt himself or anything. He's a great kid."

"He'll find his way."

"Optimist," Corri teased.

"I try to be."

Corri had a feeling Cayla was just as worried as she was. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to worry about Jordy. She had to help the newest NXT roster members take care of paperwork as well as getting set up in housing. This was going to be a long day.

 _ **MOLLY**_

The WWE was moving on and Molly had to go with them. She had said goodbye to Dillon and Randi after telling them if they needed her, they could call, no matter what time it was. Mark and the Usos were staying behind to handle the legal issues, but Gabe and Molly both had to leave with everyone else.

Molly was already packed. She decided to swing by to check on Keith and see if they were on the same flight. She knocked on his door and was stunned when he opened it up . He was trying to hide it, but his eyes were puffy and red from crying.

"Who the fuck am I killing?" Molly demanded, pushing her way into his room. She saw the shattered picture frame Keith must have tossed across the room and flipped it over. Claire's fake smile greeted her. "Oh hell no! I _told_ that bitch I'd kill her if she hurt you!"

Keith said nothing. He simply bent down, took the frame from Molly, and threw it in the trash. He picked up the shattered pieces of glass to throw them away and didn't even seem to notice when one of them cut his hand.

"Keith..." Molly said sympathetically. She'd never seen him like this before. She took his hand in her own and wrapped it in a towel. She put pressure on the wound until it stopped bleeding.

Keith stared at the cut. "I'm an idiot," he finally said.

"Glass could cut anyone," Molly said.

"Not the glass... I _trusted_ her." He shook his head. "I let her in, Molly, and this is how she repaid me!"

"What happened, Keith?"

"She's been using me... This whole time... Cheating on me, too, and laughing about how stupid I am for believing her..." He sighed. "I didn't see it... I didn't _want_ to see it. I'm just... It's hard, being on the road all the time. There's no time to fall in love because you never stay in one place. I guess I just wanted what my parents have... I wanted to be with someone in the business, someone who'd get it, so I let myself fall for her, and... And all the while, she was _using_ me. She referred to me as her plaything, her own personal Orton, like I'm just some trophy... She thought I was pathetic... And she's right."

Molly punched his arm hard. "Ouch! What the fuck, Molly?" Keith asked.

"Don't you ever, _ever_ talk about yourself like that again, Keith Phoenix Orton! I can only handle one emo Orton and Nicky's got that market cornered, so knock it off! You're not some whiny emo boy, so don't let some glorified ring rat turn you into one!"

"I let her use me, Molly."

"You made a bad choice, but it's not pathetic to want someone to love you. And shit, who _doesn't_ want a love like your parents have? They've been through _everything_ and still found their way back to each other. I'm no romantic, but even I see the appeal."

"I just... I feel like I can't trust anyone now. What if every girl who comes into my life is just here to use me? How can I ever trust myself to fall in love with that hanging over my head?"

Molly didn't hesitate. She leaned over and kissed him, a _real_ kiss this time, and she was thrilled when he kissed her back. She'd done it impulsively, but suddenly, she never wanted to stop.

Finally, when they were both breathless, she pulled away and asked, "Do you trust _me_?"

"With everything I have," Keith replied.

"Then trust _this_." She kissed him again, and this time, they didn't stop. As they steadily lost more and more clothing, Molly knew they'd both miss their flights. She couldn't bring herself to care. She felt too good with his body pressed against hers. She hadn't realized how badly she wanted... no, _needed_ this until now. As Keith entered her body, Molly forgot about everything else.


	23. Chapter 23

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE**

 _ **CAYLA**_

Cayla was glad the main roster's next stop was Florida. She was hoping she could get Trixie to finally talk to her if they were in the same town. She was surprised, however, when she felt someone come up behind her while she was in her garden. His shadow gave away who it was. Cayla spun around and smiled.

"Show!" She said as she stood up. Big Show pulled her into a tight hug. Over the years, Show's arms had come to be one of her safe places. Their unlikely romantic storyline early into her main roster career had been abruptly ended when the crew of _Total Divas_ outed her as "Paige's" lesbian lover, but Show had simply shifted his role for her, becoming her on-screen friend and protector. When she'd barely escaped from Brock Lesnar, the lines between kayfabe and reality had blurred. Show had made sure she was safe with Fred before attacking and damn near killing Lesnar for what he'd done. After that, Show stayed by Cayla's side as much as possible. He'd even played surrogate father when he walked her down the aisle at her wedding. She was always happy to see him.

"What are you doing here?" She asked when he finally released her.

"I was on the earliest flight here. I figured I'd surprise you with dinner," Show said.

"Sure. I'd love that," Cayla said. "Come on in. I'm just going to clean myself up and change." She led him into the house. After getting him a drink, she headed upstairs to get ready. She'd been hoping to see Trixie, but she didn't know when she was landing. Show only wrestled part-time now and she didn't get to see him much. She missed him and decided it would be a better use of her time to have dinner with him than to sit around waiting to stalk her daughter. She'd try to track her down in the morning.

An hour later, they'd settled in at one of her favorite local restaurants. Show ordered enough food to feed a small village. Cayla ordered a grilled chicken Caesar salad. This was the normal dynamic between them. In fact, the grilled chicken was more than Cayla tended to eat at times, but she knew it worried Show when she didn't eat much.

They talked for what felt like ages about every random thing they could think of. Finally, Show said, "I know you're worried about something, Cayla. Spill."

"Trixie knows about Fred... She's furious with us," Cayla admitted.

"That kid can't stay angry. It's not her style. She'll come around."

"I know... I just hate being away from her like this."

"Everything will work out, honey. I promise." He squeezed her hand across the table and Cayla knew he was right.

"How do you always make me believe that?" She asked.

"Because it's always true," Show said. "The universe takes care of things and keeps things balanced. So stop stressing. You're too beautiful to look so upset."

"Always the charmer, Show."

"Yeah, sure. _Me Tarzan. You Jane._ I'm a master of the spoken word."

Cayla laughed. "Well, you always know what to say to _me_ , anyway."

He smiled. It lit up his face and always made Cayla smile back. Their friendship had never been one she imagined having, but over time, this man had become her rock. "I'm glad you came to see me. I've missed you," she told him.

"I miss you, too, Cayla. We should make an effort to do this a little more frequently."

"It's a deal."

As they went their separate ways, Cayla asked, "Will you be at the party after the house show tomorrow night?"

"Probably," Show said. "Are you going to come by?"

"Yeah. The NXT kids will be there, so Corri's going and she's dragging me along. I'll see you then."

Show kissed the top of her head before they split up. Cayla was happy to know she'd have a friend to hide behind if the party got to be a bit much.

 _ **TRIXIE**_

"Ugh!" Trixie cried out at the sight of all the traffic before her. "I can't believe the traffic's so bad!"

"We would have been fine if the rental hadn't gotten a flat," Brandon said. "I'm sorry. I figured driving to the airport together would be fun. Now we're going to miss our flight..."

Trixie saw how upset he was. "It's okay," she said. "We'll just take the next one... And until then, we can enjoy each other's company, alone... It's kind of romantic, right? An adventure!"

Brandon kissed her quickly. "You're awesome, Trix. Nothing gets you down."

"Well, not for long, anyway," Trixie replied. She was pretty sure the nervous breakdown Nikki's bombshell had sent her into hadn't been a high point.

It took them entirely too long to get to the airport. They returned the rental with its replaced tire and took care of exchanging their plane tickets. Trixie needed the restroom, so she sent Brandon to get some food and promised to meet him there. When she came back out, however, she ran into a problem.

"Hello, Beautiful," a man she'd never seen before said. "I love you on TV."

Trixie smiled politely even though something about him made her nervous. "Thanks," she said. "That's very kind of you."

"Can I get a hug from a pretty lady?"

This wasn't an abnormal request for the girls to receive, so she nodded. "Of course," she said. She hugged him. That was when his hand traveled too low.

Trixie pulled back. _Play it cool,_ she told herself. They had been told repeatedly if a fan got inappropriate to handle it calmly and walk away. Of course, her Uncle Randy was infamous for not putting up with fans who didn't understand boundaries, but his reaction was frowned upon by the company.

"I've got to head out now," Trixie said calmly.

The man grabbed her arm and pulled her back toward him roughly. "Not yet," he said.

 _Screw company policy,_ she thought. She stomped on his foot hard, causing him to cry out and jump away from her. Trixie was about to take off running, but the guy recovered quicker than she expected and pulled out a knife. He pulled her into a position she couldn't get out of as easily and pressed the knife to her throat.

"I pretty much live here." He laughed. "I know every possible place to take you where they won't hear you scream."

Trixie tried to consider her options. Could she talk him down? That's what her mom would try. Her mum, on the other hand, would find a way to stab the son of a bitch with his own knife.

He started to drag her somewhere even more secluded. Trixie knew she had to fight. She took several deep breaths and focused on anticipating his every step. If she could find a rhythm, she could break away...

She was startled out of this when someone ripped the man off of her. His knife clattered to the floor. Trixie looked up to see what had happened and saw someone beating the hell out of the guy.

"Danny!" She shouted. "Danny, stop! Let him go. He's not worth it."

"He just tried to kidnap you at knifepoint, Trixie!" Danny shouted back. "He's got this coming!"

She grabbed his arm before he could throw another punch. "Don't get arrested. Please."

He paused when she touched him. "Danny," she said gently.

He released the guy. "If you fucking show your face around her again, I'll do worse than kill you," Danny told him.

The guy looked terrified now. He ran away, leaving his knife behind. Trixie was shaking. Danny moved closer to her instinctively. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" He asked her.

Trixie flung her arms around him. He stiffened for a second in shock, then slowly hugged her back. "You saved my life!" She told him. "I... I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't shown up."

"You don't have to find out," Danny said. "Don't think about what could have happened. It'll mess you up."

"Thank you."

"Well... We're friends now, right? Fending off knife-wielding psychos for each other comes with the job."

She smiled. "Come with me?"

"You think I'm leaving you _alone_ after that? Not until your ass is on a plane far away from that nutjob."

"I'll buy you something to eat. Brandon went to get us food."

His mood seemed to shift slightly. "I wouldn't want to be a third wheel."

"Danny, you just saved my life! You've earned some food and company." She pretty much dragged him to where she was supposed to meet Brandon.

"Trix, what took so long? I was worried!" Brandon said, pulling her into his arms. Trixie felt much better now. Brandon paused as he noticed Danny. "What's _he_ doing here?"

" _He_ was just leaving," Danny said.

"Oh no you don't!" Trixie said. " _He_ has a name, Brandon. Danny's my friend."

"Since when?" Brandon asked. "The guy bullies you."

"Since I made him realize he was being a jerk... And he just saved my life, so be nice."

"He... _What?_ What happened? Are you okay?"

"This asshat crazy fan pulled a fucking knife on her," Danny said coldly. "Maybe if she hadn't been _alone_ , she wouldn't have needed my help."

"Oh my God, Trixie! Did he hurt you?"

"I'm okay," Trixie said. "And it's not Brandon's fault, Danny. I should have picked a more public bathroom. Anyway, I promised Danny good food and good company. Do you mind?"

Brandon looked at Danny. "Thank you for protecting her," he said. "And of course I don't mind."

The three sat down for what could have been the most awkward meal ever, but Brandon had apparently decided Danny saving Trixie's life meant he should give him a chance. The tension soon eased slightly as the boys started discussing wrestling, and Trixie was relieved. Missing the flight may have been a disaster, but Danny had saved her and now he'd made another friend. Maybe everything really _did_ happen for a reason.

 _ **MOLLY**_

 _You just slept with another Orton,_ Molly thought. _Several times._ She could hardly believe she'd done this. She'd taken Nicky's virginity before upsetting him with the fact that she was not the monogamous sort. Now she'd been Keith's rebound girl.

 _Is it just that?_ She wondered. Any other time she'd slept with someone, even if the sex was amazing, there had been no strings attached. She'd had plenty of rebound sex before. This time, however, had been different. Not only was Keith incredibly skilled in bed, he was the one person in the world who knew her as well as the Sire. Being with him had been more intense than she was used to and she couldn't quite process what she was feeling.

 _You love him,_ her inner voice said. This particular voice tended to sound like Trixie, and that would have been Trixie's exact reaction.

 _Of_ course _I love him. He's my best friend,_ Molly told the voice.

 _You don't just love him... You_ love _him_!

 _Shut up. I don't_ love _anyone like that. That's not my thing._

 _Then why are you so afraid this is about to end?_

Molly hated it when the voice was right. Keith was still holding her. They'd both tried to stop, but every time they tried to be responsible, they ended up back in each other's arms. Keith had even made it to the shower once... until Molly had joined him... And afterward, they'd ended up back in bed.

Keith pressed his lips against her ear. "Don't freak out, okay?" He asked.

"Um... Okay," Molly said cautiously.

"I know you don't do relationships, and I don't expect you to just start... But that... That was amazing, and I was clearly delusional thinking I wanted anyone other than _you_... I love you, Molly. Please don't run away, but I do."

"Keith..." She rolled over. "I don't do relationships... But I like this, whatever this is... And I kind of want to keep it up."

He smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that."

"Is it okay if we don't label it?"

"Mol, as long as you're in my life, whatever happens will be okay."

She kissed him. This nearly led to more, but Molly stopped herself somehow. "If we don't leave, we're getting fired," she said.

Keith laughed. "You're right. You shower first. I'll order food so we can eat quick because I'm starving, then I'll shower... And Mol?"

"Yeah?"

"Lock the door before I decide to misbehave."

Molly laughed. "Good call." She did as he asked because she knew they'd never leave if she didn't. For the first time in days, Molly was happy.

 _ **NICKY**_

Nicky and Ginny looked around. "Where _is_ everyone?" Ginny asked. "The show's in a few hours."

"Good question," Paul said, making them both jump. "Your stable has a lot more members than this..."

As if on cue, Keith, Molly, Trixie, Brandon, Gabe, and Lucas came rushing in. Their suitcases trailed behind them.

"I can't believe _I'm_ the only one besides Ginny who was on time!" Nicky said.

"Surely it's the apocalypse," Ginny teased him.

"Sorry, Sir," Brandon told Paul. "Trixie and I got a flat on the way to the airport and missed our flight."

"My mom called me with an issue and I flew in late with my Dad," Lucas said.

"Some _fucktard_ switched my gear out of my bag and replaced it with lacy lingerie!" Gabe said. "I couldn't find my stuff, but I finally gave up." He pulled out several sexy items and waved them around as proof.

"Revenge is a bitch, Gabe!" Keith said with a laugh. He opened his own suitcase and tossed something at Gabe as everyone laughed. "But to spare us all from watching you crossdress, here's your stuff."

Even Paul was struggling not to laugh. "Okay. Molly, Keith, any excuses?" He asked.

"We were busy," Molly said. "We made it. That's all you need to know, Dickface." She blew him a kiss.

Paul sighed. "You kids remind me of the Attitude Era... Go on, get ready."

They did as they were told. Nicky grabbed Keith. "Are you okay? With everything with Claire?" He asked.

"Yeah... I'm totally over her," Keith said.

"That was fast."

"I think I talked myself into loving her because it was convenient... But she's not the one."

Nicky followed Keith's gaze to Molly. He realized he was seriously going to have to work harder now if he didn't want to lose her to Keith. He looked at Lucas and mentally began planning their next dance lesson.

 _ **DEAN**_

The show had been okay, but nothing special. The after-party, however, promised to be more interesting. Dean didn't care for the parties, but since everyone else was going, he had to go, too.

He looked around at the smiling wrestlers. The NXT roster was there, too. The party was huge and there were two rooms being occupied by the guests. Cayla was talking to Big Show. He watched as Trixie walked over and hugged her mother.

 _Finally,_ he thought. He turned his attention to the others. AJ Styles was back and set to work an angle with the New Legacy. He was talking to Corri and Randy. Corri excused herself to head toward the other room.

Nikki was standing by the bar drinking. A boy Dean didn't know was trying to talk to her. Nikki rolled her eyes and dismissed him. Dean heard her call him some impolite things as she did. The boy walked away. Something made Dean keep watching him. He seemed upset and somewhat unhinged. He was still watching as the boy turned toward Paul.

Dean saw it before anyone else did. The kid had a gun, and in a split second, he was pulling it out and aiming it at Paul. Dean didn't stop to think as his street kid instincts kicked in. He dove in front of Paul, knocking him to safety, and a moment later, unbelievable pain burned through his body as he registered the sound of the gun being fired.


	24. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR**

 _ **CORRI**_

Corri knew what gunshots sounded like. She'd heard them often enough growing up in New York. She reacted quickly, slamming the door to the second party room shut as soon as Keith yanked Molly inside.

Molly let out a scream of the one word she hadn't used in years. "Dad!" She screamed as she fought against Keith trying to get to her father.

"Molly!" Corri shouted. "Molly, _stop_! You can't go out there." She pulled Molly into her arms.

Molly thrashed like a wild animal. "Let me go!" She screamed. "That is my _father_! He's hurt! I have to... I have to help him!"

"You _can't_. I don't know what's going on, but _none_ of us can leave this room without possibly drawing fire."

"He _needs_ me! I won't leave him!"

"Don't you think _I_ want to go rushing in there? My sister, my husband, and my niece are all in there! But I can't because I have to keep all of _you_ safe!"

Molly stopped fighting and began sobbing. It broke Corri's heart. She hugged her, then looked at Keith. "Take her," she said gently. Keith pulled Molly into his arms and tried to comfort her.

"Corri's right," Stephanie said from the corner she'd ducked into. She was trembling. "We can't risk whoever is out there coming in here." She looked more terrified than Corri had ever seen her. Gone was the confident and frequently bitchy head of WWE. In her place was the frightened little girl she'd been when she'd first shown up in the company.

Corri extended her hand to her. "Come on. We have to get everyone out of here," Corri said.

Stephanie nodded numbly and stood up with her help. "Everyone, go with Stephanie. There's an exit back there."

There were about twenty or so people in the room. Corri looked for a leader amongst them, but most of them were kids, either from NXT or the newer main roster members. She looked to Keith. "Honey, I need you to be brave. Lead them out of here. Take Molly and your brother. Keep them safe."

Keith looked at her. "What about you?" He asked.

"Don't worry about me. I'm going to see if I can help." She kissed his forehead. "Be strong, Keith. They need a leader."

Keith knew better than to protest. He nodded and immediately took charge, keeping Molly and Nicky closest to him. Stephanie stayed right behind him. Corri watched as they left. Then she peaked through the door and saw something that made her heart stop. The person holding the gun was Jordy.

 _ **KEITH**_

Keith led everyone through the stairwell. Halfway down, he heard sobbing. He looked at Nicky. "Take everyone outside," he said. "I need to find whoever that is and make sure they're okay."

Nicky nodded. Keith was proud when his brother took charge of the scared group and led them away. Only Molly refused to leave.

"I… I left the Sire," she said. She was still crying. "I won't leave you. I can't."

He nodded. "It's okay," he said. "Stay with me." He followed the sound of the sobs. He spotted the crying girl pretty quickly.

"Claire?" He called.

Claire sat holding her knees to her chest and rocking. "He… He shot him," she whispered.

Keith might hate this girl, but he couldn't abandon her to whatever danger might be lurking now. "I know. Claire, listen to me… You have to come with us. It's not safe here."

"No… He… He has a gun…"

"The dumb bitch is in shock," Molly said.

"We can't just leave her," Keith said.

"We _can_ , actually, but you're not that person." She sighed. "Claire, come on. You can't stay here."

"No… No…" She was rocking.

Keith knelt beside her. Slowly, he extended his hand toward her. "Come with us, Claire. You'll be safe. I promise."

Claire seemed to see him then. "Keith?" She asked.

"Yeah. Come on, Claire. We aren't safe here."

She nodded and took his hand, letting him help her up. "Why are you helping me?" She asked.

"Because no matter what you did to me, you don't deserve to die and I won't leave you somewhere that you could get killed."

Claire looked shocked. "I… Thank you."

"Walk faster," Molly said. "We need to get the fuck out of here…"

"Molly…" Claire said. "Your father…"

"Don't!" Molly snapped at her. "Just fucking don't! Shut up and walk and be glad we didn't leave you here to rot!"

Claire had enough sense not to say anything else. Together, they found the others. They left the building together, finding safety. Keith prayed the rest of their friends and family were okay. He tried not to worry about the fact that both of his parents, as well as his aunt and cousin, were all inside with a mad man and Molly's father might be dead. He couldn't focus on that. His mother had put him in charge of keeping everyone here safe and that was exactly what he was going to do.

 _ **TRIXIE**_

Seeing her best friend's father collapse on the ground after getting shot had left Trixie completely stunned. She'd reacted quickly, trying to get to Dean, but Ginny grabbed her arm to stop her. The man with the gun was aiming it very close to the two of them. Trixie was startled when someone knocked both of them to the ground and began shielding them with his body. The shot that was heading their way missed.

She looked into their rescuer's eyes. "Danny?" She asked.

"Stay down!" He ordered her. He looked at Ginny. "Sorry... Are you okay?"

Ginny nodded. She hesitated, but finally said, "Thank you."

"I figured I owed you..." He looked at Trixie. "That's two psychopaths trying to kill you in two days. Would you _please_ take that 'I Love Lunatics' sign off of your back?"

"You... saved my life. _Again_ ," Trixie said in shock.

"I wish you'd quit needing it." He squeezed her hand. "Fred and Thaddeus are a few feet away, in the corner. Crawl to them. Slowly. No sudden movements. They'll protect you guys."

"My dad..." Ginny whispered.

"He's too far. Stay with Trixie and the Players. It's a safer corner."

Ginny looked like she wanted to protest, but she nodded. Carefully, the two girls crawled toward Fred and Thad. Danny made an effort to hide them as he shifted his body. When they made it, Fred immediately wrapped both girls in his arms.

"You're safe," he promised. "We'll protect you."

"I've got you guys," Thad added.

Trixie dared to look toward the shooter. She started to panic when she realized that he had the gun aimed directly at her mother.

 _ **CAYLA**_

This couldn't be happening. "Jordy, please! What are you _doing_?" She asked in horror. Dean lay a few feet away. He wasn't moving, but he was muttering curse words every few seconds. She hoped that was a good sign.

"Where's your sister?" Jordy demanded, aiming the gun at Cayla.

"Jordy, don't do this... Please..."

"Tell me!" He starting ranting incoherently, waving the gun around and then putting it back on Cayla.

"I _can't,_ " Cayla said.

"You _have_ to! I don't want to hurt you, Cayla. Just tell me where Corri is!"

Cayla shook her head. Jordy let out a frustrated sound and squeezed the trigger. Everything happened in slow motion. Cayla waited for the pain to hit. Instead, she felt something warm splash across her flesh. She couldn't process what had happened at first. She stared at her hands, uncomprehending. Why was she covered in this red fluid? Who had fallen at her feet moments after the shot had been fired?

She forced herself to look down and saw someone covered in blood and lying on his stomach. No one was that size... No one except for Big Show.

Cayla let out a scream that was nearly primal. She was frozen in place, unable to make herself move. Jordy was still aimimg the gun at her when someone knocked her to the floor and it went off again. This time, it didn't hit anyone.

"Cayla, are you hit?" AJ asked. She stared at him unable to form words. "Are you hurt?" He asked again, searching her for any obvious wounds.

"Answer me, Cayla!" Jordy screamed.

"She's not here!" Someone said loudly. "You wanna threaten someone with your big gun because you think that makes you a big man? Threaten _me_. Let's see who's tougher, kid."

Cayla realized it was Randy speaking. He'd successfully gotten Jordy's attention. The gun was now aimed at her brother-in-law instead of her.

"Cay... You gotta stay down," AJ said. "Do you understand?"

She looked at him. Somehow, she managed to nod. She was already on the ground. She pulled Show into her arms, resting his head in her lap. She stroked it soothingly as he looked up at her. Show tried to form words, but blood came out of his mouth instead.

Seeing the fear in his eyes caused Cayla to find the strength to speak. "Show..." Cayla whispered in horror. "Don't leave me. _Please..._ Just hang on. We'll get you help."

AJ had taken off his jacket. He was trying to apply pressure to the wound, but it was no use. Show was losing too much blood too quickly.

"Don't go," Cayla begged. "Show, please..." He coughed up more blood. "Paul!" Cayla cried. She rarely used his legal name. Everyone called him Show because Paul was Triple H, but he was dying... _He was dying,_ and there was nothing she could do about it. "I love you," she whispered.

He blinked at her and she knew he understood. A moment later, he let out a deep breath. The glassy look in his eyes told her he was gone.

Cayla sobbed harder, refusing to let him go. AJ closed Show's eyes and wrapped his arms around Cayla. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. He paused. "You can grieve later, Cay. Right now, you need to be strong. We're not safe yet."

She knew he was right, but how could she be strong now? She looked around the room. That was when she saw Trixie sobbing in Fred's arms.

 _Trixie,_ she thought. _Trixie's in danger._ That thought gave her the strength to get her head back in the game. Somehow, she released Show.

Another shot was fired. People screamed. One of the NXT boot campers hit the ground dead... _Josh,_ Cayla remembered.

"I guess there's a spot for me _now_!" Jordy yelled at Paul, who cowered behind Randy.

"Put the gun down, Son," Randy said calmly. "This isn't going to end well for you."

Cayla prayed the same would not be said for Randy.

 _ **CORRI**_

Corri had been helpless as she watched Jordy shoot at the people she loved, including making repeated attempts to hit Cayla. She'd watched Big Show give his life to protect her twin. Cayla was only in danger because she refused to give Corri up. She had to _do_ something.

Randy spotted her. Their eyes locked. She looked at him. He shifted his head. She followed his gaze, spotting her niece and Fred, along with several others who were close to the door. She looked back at Randy. He nodded slightly. She nodded back.

Before her eyes, Randy morphed into the big bad Marine he'd once been. It was like a switch had been flipped. He began speaking to Jordy in a calm, commanding voice and distracted him completely.

She caught Fred's eye. He was close, with Trixie by his side. She motioned for him to come to the door. Slowly, those closest found their way to the door. Corri gave Trixie a quick hug. "The exit's that way," she told Thad. "Take them all and run."

Thad led everyone out of the back room. Corri was relieved she'd at least managed to save her niece, as well as about ten other people. That meant eleven people Jordy couldn't shoot.

 _Because I cut him,_ she thought. _I knew he wasn't okay. This is my fault._ She shook her head. There wasn't time for this right now. She needed to try to help the others. She looked at her incredibly brave husband and prayed he'd be able to stay safe.

 _ **CAYLA**_

Randy had nearly talked Jordy down when someone tried to run. It was one of the NXT kids. She didn't know his name. Jordy fired off another shot. This one missed.

Nikki let out a scream as the shot was fired. Jordy turned to her. "You were such a bitch to me," he said. He pointed the gun at her and Nikki froze in terror. Cayla had never seen her look so helpless. She decided she couldn't let anyone else die tonight.

"Jordy!" She called, standing up. She pushed Nikki to safety as Jordy fired another shot. Cayla barely dodged the bullet herself.

"Cayla, I don't want to hurt you," Jordy said. "You were nice to me. You tried so hard to make me feel better… Please just let me do what I have to do."

"You _don't_ have to do this," Cayla insisted. "Jordy, you're hurting. I know that, but how is this going to help?"

"I'm doing what you told me to do!"

"What?" Cayla asked. "What do you mean?"

"You told me to make them notice me! Well, I bet they did! Right, Triple H? Do you notice me now?"

Cayla's chest felt tight with guilt. "Jordy… This isn't what I meant."

"I know… But how else could I do it?"

"You have so much talent… Potential… The only reason you didn't get a spot was because you're still young and need to learn more… There is _nothing_ wrong with that! But this? Killing people? Trying to kill Triple H and my sister? That won't help. That won't do anything but get you arrested or worse."

He stared at her. "I didn't know what else to do. I lost everything, Cayla… _Everything!_ "

"I know you think you did, Jordy… But this won't fix that." She took a deep breath. "I still believe in you, Jordy. I believe you're a good kid and you just lost your way because you're hurting… But you'll never get out of here alive unless you put down that gun."

"They'll kill me as soon as I do! I'm dead anyway!"

"No, Jordy, they won't kill you. Not if you aren't a threat." She looked at him. "Give me the gun, Jordy."

"I can't!"

She spoke more firmly, looking into his eyes. _"Give me the gun,"_ she said again.

He was shaking. Finally, he handed the gun to her. Cayla took it with trembling hands and stepped aside as Randy tackled Jordy and restrained him. The security guards were finally free to come over without risking causing anyone else to get shot. They handcuffed him and Cayla knew it was over. She was still trembling as she held the gun that had done so much damage to the people she loved.

She barely noticed when Randy took the gun from her hands. "Cayla," he said. "Cayla, are you alright?"

She wanted to reply, but she couldn't. With the threat gone, everything else hit her at once. She saw the blood on her hands again and remembered. With that, she fell to her knees. She couldn't breathe no matter how hard she tried.

"Cayla… Cay, breathe honey," Randy said. "It's over. It's okay. You're safe."

"Check… Dean…" she managed to say as she hyperventilated. Randy was reluctant to leave her.

Cayla felt her sister join them. Corri immediately pulled Randy into her arms and kissed him. "Thank God," she whispered. "I thought… He could have…"

"I'm okay," Randy said.

Corri nodded. "Go take care of Dean. I've got Cay. Please make sure my best friend doesn't die."

Randy nodded and left them. "Cay… I'm here. It's okay. It's over," Corri said. She pulled Cayla into her arms. "Please try to breathe, honey. You did amazing. I'm so proud of you."

Cayla looked at her sister. She sobbed into her shoulder for a bit until she could breathe again. Finally, she whispered, "He saved me, Corr… And now he's gone."

Corri was crying, too. "I know. I'm so sorry, Cay…"

To Cayla's surprise, someone else joined them. She looked up and realized it was Nikki. She looked shaken up and like she was trying to figure out what to say. "Cayla…" She said.

Corri tensed, ready for a fight. Cayla looked up at Nikki, wondering how she had the nerve to even approach her after everything she'd done.

"What do you want?" Corri demanded.

"I just… I wanted to say…" Nikki paused. "I'm sorry," she finally said. "About Big Show. I know how close you two were. It's… It's tragic."

Cayla nodded. She knew this was the closest Nikki could bring herself to come to thanking her for saving her life. "Thank you for that," she said.

Nikki turned and walked away. "That was weird," Corri said.

"I knocked her out of the way of a bullet," Cayla said. "I think that was her way of thanking me."

"Nikki being almost nice is a sign of the end of the world."

Cayla had to agree. Then again, this certainly _did_ feel like the end.

 _ **SARAYA**_

Saraya was holding a beer when the news caught her attention. "Our sources in the States have confirmed that there has been a shooting at a large party in Florida," the reporter said. "Several WWE personnel were in attendance at this party. There are confirmed injuries as well as multiple deaths, but names have not been released to the public. We will keep you posted on this story as more information becomes available."

Saraya dropped the beer. It shattered, causing her fellow wrestlers to stare at her. "I- I have to go," she said.

"Saraya?" One of the promotors asked. "What's wrong?"

"The news… I have to get back to the States! I have to bloody _go_!" She shouted.

"Calm down. What's happened?"

"My wife and my daughter were at that party! I have to go! I… I just lost my Mum. I can't lose them, too!"

Someone tried to comfort her. She didn't even register who it was. She started kicking and punching and screaming at them to let her go.

"Saraya! Luv! Calm down!" A familiar voice shouted. Stu, formerly known as Wade Barrett, forced her into his arms and tried to calm her down. Long ago, they'd had a drunken one night stand. He could be a jerk at times, but Stu was also a friend.

"Stu… I can't… I can't lose them," she whispered.

"You won't, Luv. They're strong. They're going to be okay," Stu promised. "I'll drive you to the airport myself, alright?"

She nodded. She followed him to the car and prayed that she wouldn't receive bad news.

 _ **RANDY**_

Randy knelt beside Dean. "Dean? Can you hear me?" He asked. Joe and Colby were by his side as well.

"Fuck," Dean mumbled, opening his eyes. "Getting shot fucking hurts, man."

"Thank God," Joe mumbled. Colby was crying.

Randy looked at his wound. The bullet had hit him in his side and he'd lost a lot of blood, but it didn't look like it was going to be fatal and the bleeding had slowed down significantly as Joe and Colby had applied pressure.

"You're going to be okay," Randy told him.

"I know," Dean said. "This isn't the first fucking time I've been shot."

"Why am I not surprised?" Randy helped keep Dean talking as they waited for paramedics to arrive. By the time they were ready to leave, Randy was positive he was going to be alright.

Paul knelt beside Dean. He looked at him. "You save my life, Ambrose," he said in shock. "You heal up, alright? As soon as you come back, the title's yours."

Dean laughed. "Fuck, Paul, if I knew all it was gonna take to get the title was saving your life, I'd have had someone shoot at you _years_ ago," he said.

Randy was relieved to hear Dean making jokes. Paul laughed, too. "You did good, Dean. Thank you."

"You are a lucky man. You're stable and the bullet hit in a pretty harmless area and went straight through," one of the paramedics said. "You're going to be fine, but you need to get to the hospital so we can stitch you up properly and get you some blood. You'll need some time to recover, but you're going to be just fine."

The paramedics took Dean away. Randy stood and ran to Corri. "Is Cay alright?" He asked.

"She will be, I think," Corri said. She held him close.

"The boys… Where are they?"

"I had Keith lead everyone out to safety. They're fine."

Randy let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been mentally holding. "I love you," he said.

"I love you, too, Sexy…" She kissed him again. "You just out-sexied yourself with that Marine Bad-assery, by the way."

He focused on Corri and tried to forget everything they'd just been through for just a moment. Corri had always been good at keeping him from thinking about the things that gave him nightmares, but Randy knew that after tonight, he'd have a few new ones to deal with.


	25. Chapter 25

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE**

 _ **MOLLY**_

She had spent an entire day at her Sire's bedside watching him sleep. Molly refused to take her eyes off of the heart monitor. She gripped his hand in her own, willing him to be alright. After making sure his family was safe, Keith stayed by her side, holding her free hand and saying whatever he could to comfort her. Molly did not speak. She couldn't. Instead, she used all of her energy to try to connect to her father somehow telepathically. The doctors insisted he was just exhausted and sedated and would be fine, but she wouldn't believe it until he woke up.

Finally, Dean began grumbling. Molly squeezed his hand. "The fuck am I?" Dean mumbled.

"You're in the hospital, Sire," Molly said. It felt weird to speak. She had to try twice before the words actually came out.

"Right... Fucker shot me," Dean said as he looked at her. Molly hated herself for it, but she started crying. "Molly..." Dean softened his tone. "It's okay, Offspring. I'm alright."

"I... I was by the other room," Molly said, "but... But I wasn't inside yet... And... And I saw..." She stared at her feet. Molly _never_ freaked out like this, but she'd nearly lost him. "I saw him shoot at Paul... And you... You got hit to protect him... And you went down, and Keith grabbed me and pulled me into the other room, and... And then I couldn't stop screaming because I... I thought..."

"I'm not that easy to kill, Offspring." Dean struggled to sit up so he could hug her. Molly could tell it hurt, but he wasn't letting go and all she wanted in that moment was for her Sire to hold her and tell her everything would be alright.

"Dad..." She whispered the word she never used into his shoulder as she wept. "You can't leave me, Sire," she said louder. "You are the only one in this universe who's qualified to handle me."

"I'm not going anywhere, Offspring," Dean promised. He looked at Keith. "Thanks for looking out for her," he said.

"I always do," Keith said. He looked at Molly and she could tell her Sire saw something in that look.

"Ah," Dean said. "So I was right about you guys after all."

"What do you mean?" Keith asked.

Dean smirked. "Never mind. The Offspring knows what I speak of."

Molly wasn't surprised he'd figured out what had happened with Keith. She _was_ mildly impressed that he'd noticed while recovering from getting shot, but that was her Sire... He _always_ knew.

"Sire, permission to be sappy?" Molly asked.

"Proceed with thy sap, Offspring," Dean replied.

"I'm glad you're not dead. That... that would suck very much... Because I love you."

He pulled her closer. "I love you, too, Molly."

She hadn't realized until he said the words how terrified she'd been that she'd never hear them again. Molly curled up in the hospital bed beside her Sire, a difficult task with how small it was, and allowed him to hold her and stroke her hair until she felt calmer.

"I'm okay," she told him finally.

Dean nodded. "When I get outta here, we're getting ice cream... Nah, fuck that. We're buying an entire fucking ice cream _truck_!"

"Can I play the jingle and refuse to serve the small children who try to flag us down?" Molly asked with an evil grin.

"If it pleases you, Offspring."

She kissed his cheek, then curled back up on him. At some point, safe in her Sire's arms, Molly drifted off to sleep.

 _ **CORRI**_

This was her fault. Show was dead. So was Josh, who was barely twenty-one and who was only there because she'd chosen him... Dean had gotten shot and could have been killed. People were traumatized. Cayla was broken. Her sons had been forced to take charge and save people. Keith was so much like Randy, who was trained to handle impossible situations like that, but Nicky... Corri worried what this would do to him.

 _Nicky._ He'd been on her mind when she made her choices for NXT. Had that clouded her judgment? Was she wrong about Jordy? Should she have fought for him? He had talent, but he was so green... So young... So vulnerable...

 _Just like Nicky,_ Corri thought. _You screwed him up by letting Paul put him on the main roster right away and you screwed Jordy up by denying him his chance..._

For the first time in a long time, Corri was tempted to do something stupid... Not drugs. She'd never do that again. Drugs had made her hit the man she loved. She'd never be that person again... But what harm would one little drink really do?

 _A lot,_ Corri reminded herself. _It might feel better for a bit, but you won't stop at one._ She sighed. Everything hurt so damn much... She couldn't handle all of this guilt. It was destroying her.

Corri decided to check on her sons. She had a key to Nicky's room because he was infamous for misplacing his key cards. She knocked but heard no answer, so she opened the door. What she saw ripped the last of her sanity away from her.

Nicky stood at the table in the room pouring Jack Daniels into a shot glass. He froze when he saw her.

"Oh, no, don't let _me_ stop you!" Corri said. "In fact, pour _me_ one. I could use a drink." She grabbed the bottle from him and poured herself a shot. Nicky stared at her in horror.

"Mom!" He cried out. "What are you _doing_?"

"Forgetting," Corri replied. She was very close to tossing back the shot. She'd always loved Jack Daniels... But the fear in Nicky's eyes made her hesitate. She took the shot and poured it down the drain. Then she took the bottle. She was tempted to throw it across the room and watch it shatter, but trashing hotel rooms was not a good example to set for her baby boy. She poured it down the drain with trembling hands instead.

"I'm sorry," Nicky said. "Mom, I'm _so_ sorry."

"No, Baby... _I_ am." She wrapped Nicky in her arms. "I'm not in my right mind right now."

"I know I shouldn't be drinking... But it's so hard... Yesterday was so scary... I've never been that scared in my life. And I just keep hearing that first gunshot... Knowing Dean got hit... Knowing people _died_... It's so much to process. I just wanted it to stop."

"I know how you feel." She shook her head. "Come on, Nicky."

"Where?"

"Anywhere but here." She guided him away. They didn't get very far.

"You know _what_ , Allen?" A very familiar voice was saying.

"Suck it!" A second added.

Corri spun around, not believing her ears. Matt and Nick stood a few feet away. Before she even realized it, she was running. She let them pull her into their arms.

"What are you guys _doing_ here?" Corri asked in shock.

"Not just them," a third person said. Corri was stunned to see Kenny Omega. She hugged her old friend, instantly feeling better. Kenny always made people happy. It was his gift. "A certain Traitor sent up the Bat Signal... Well, more like the Bullet Club symbol... And like magic, we appeared!"

She looked at the person who'd been told to "suck it." Suddenly, she understood. "AJ, you called them?" She asked.

"I texted them," AJ clarified.

Nick pulled his phone out and showed her the message: _The twins need you._ He looked at her. "As soon as we saw that, we told the Japanese fans _Sayonara_ and _suck it_ and got on a plane."

"You guys were on tour," Nicky said.

"Right you are, Godson," Matt said, "but your mom here and your Aunt Cay? They are _way_ more important than a match."

"I can't believe you guys..." Corri whispered. She shook her head.

"Nicky, how would you like to get a chance to train with me one-on-one for a while?" AJ asked.

"Are you _kidding_? That would be awesome!" Nicky replied. Corri was relieved to see him excited.

"Very cool. Come with me, Kid. I'll teach you the Styles Clash."

"Allen Neal Jones!" Corri shouted. "You are _not_ putting my son into the Styles Clash! I like his neck in one piece."

"Ouch, Corri! Why do you wound me so?" AJ asked in a mock-hurt tone. "Relax. I haven't broken anyone's neck in years, and I'm not doing the move on Nicky... _He's_ doing it to _me_."

"Dude... Record that for us, okay?" Nick asked Nicky.

"And all of YouTube!" Matt added.

"Is it okay, Mom?" Nicky asked.

Corri melted. Even though he was a big bad wrestler now, he was still her baby boy... He still asked permission if he thought she might not be okay with him doing something.

"Okay, Nicky... Have fun. Just be careful," Corri said.

"Awesome!" Nicky said. He ran off with AJ.

"Okay, no more brave face for the kid," Matt said. "Talk to us."

"I did this!" Corri told them, her voice filled with grief. She could never lie to these guys.

"Corri, this isn't your fault," Nick protested.

"I was the one who told the shooter he wasn't good enough yet... I rejected him."

"AJ mentioned it was a Boot Camper... But Corri, that doesn't make it your fault," Matt said.

"He told us he lost everything... I knew he wasn't okay... And he shot Dean, and tried to kill Paul, and Trixie, and... and Cayla. He almost _did_ kill Cayla, all because she wouldn't give me up so he could kill _me_! And Big Show got shot... He saved her life and then bled out _in her arms_! Everything is totally _fucked_ and it's _my_ fault!"

"That's too much for you to carry, my friend," Kenny said. He swept her up in his arms and carried her like a baby. "Let _me_ carry it for a while."

"Kenny... Come on, put me down," Corri said.

"Not until you're feeling less of this burden, Corri."

"Guys, tell him to let me go."

"Sorry, Corr," Nick replied.

"The wise Pokemon Master is right," Matt added.

"So tell us more, Corri," Kenny said.

She looked at her friends. "Everything is out of control," she said. "And Nicky... He's been _drinking_ and I have no idea what to do about it."

"The Godson is doing _what_?" Matt demanded.

"Unacceptable!" Nick said. "Superkick Party?"

"Of _course_ Superkick Party!" Matt said as though that was the dumbest question Nick had ever asked.

"I'm not certain that will solve this problem," Kenny said.

"But... Superkick Parties fix _everything_ ," Nick said with a pout.

"Not this, my friend. We must nurture the young one and find out why he's chosen this path."

"Nicky's straightedge," Matt objected. "He does everything _we_ do and we didn't even drink when the Sandman gave us beer."

"No, you poured it over your shoulders and took a bath," Corri said with a laugh.

"And gave the rest to the fans," Nick added.

"Look, I had the same reaction as you, Matt, but apparently he's not so straightedge anymore," Corri said sadly. "I passed my addiction issues on to him."

Kenny lifted Corri up onto his shoulders. "What the fuck, Omega?" She demanded.

"Your burdens got higher. You must rise above them. Rise, Corri!" He held her legs to keep her steady as he spun around. "Rise!"

Corri couldn't keep protesting. She laughed instead. It felt wrong to laugh in light of everything, but she needed to so badly. Finally, after a few minutes of this, Kenny carefully lowered her back onto the ground.

"I believe you are ready to stand on your own two feet now," Kenny told her.

She hugged him. "How long are you guys staying?" She asked.

"As long as you need," Matt said.

"What?" Corri asked in disbelief.

"We are officially on leave from New Japan until things calm down. We don't have anything booked for ROH right now. We're all yours. Well, yours and Cayla's," Nick said.

Corri felt tears in her eyes. She hadn't realized how badly she needed to see these guys until now. "Do I need to pick you up again?" Kenny asked.

"No," Corri said with a sad laugh. "I'm just really glad you guys are here." She pulled them into a group hug and tried to tell herself it would all be alright. She didn't believe it, but at least if things got bad, she had the men who'd saved her from herself before by her side now.

 _ **TRIXIE**_

After things had finally calmed down, Trixie had found Brandon. He was with his aunt, the only member of his family who had been at the party. She expected it to turn ugly, so she hadn't gone over to him. Instead, she sent him a text telling him she was okay and that she was crashing at home with her mother for the night.

Her mother hadn't slept. Instead, she'd held on to Trixie for dear life all night. The night had been a hard one. For the first time in her life, all of Trixie's dreams were nightmares. Cayla woke her and comforted her every time she struggled, but Trixie wasn't too eager to go back to sleep any time soon by the time the sun came up.

"I'm going to get us some breakfast," Trixie said as Cayla stared straight ahead. She'd been doing that all morning. She wasn't speaking unless Trixie asked her a question, and even then, her responses were automatic and emotionless. "What do you want?"

"I'm not hungry," her mother replied tonelessly.

"Mom... You should eat something."

"I'm not hungry," she repeated. "Take cash out of my wallet and get yourself whatever you want."

"Mom... Please let me buy you breakfast." Trixie knew her concern was clear in her voice.

Cayla looked at her. "Of course. You know what I like. Go ahead," she said quickly. It was clear she didn't want to worry her daughter. "I'm sorry, Baby," she added. She hugged her. "Be careful."

"I will be." Trixie left her mother's money because she intended to use her own. As she walked out the door, she turned and saw that her mom had returned to staring at the wall.

She hurried to her mother's favorite cafe. She hadn't expected it, but she ran into Brandon. "Trixie!" He called.

Trixie noticed Nikki by his side. That didn't stop her from going over to him. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "I'm so glad you're safe! I couldn't find you."

"Aunt Corri got me out with Fred," Trixie replied. She waited for a response from Nikki mocking her, but that wasn't what happened.

Instead, Nikki looked at her. "You're very lucky," she said. "I saw he almost hit you."

"Danny protected me."

Nikki nodded. "Trixie..." She paused. "I'm glad you're alright. Brandon would have been devastated if anything happened to you, and I hate seeing him upset. I was just leaving. Why don't you keep him company?"

Trixie blinked in shock as Nikki walked away. "What just happened?" She asked Brandon.

"Your mother saved her life last night," Brandon explained. "It's messing with her head. She's always been awful to your mom, and she's been straight-up cruel to you, but last night when that gun was aimed at her, your mother pushed her out of the way. She could have been killed, but she didn't even hesitate... Your mother is a badass, Trix... And she's the only reason my aunt is still alive." He looked extremely shaken up as he said this.

"Oh my God..." Trixie shook her head. "That's my Mom, though. She puts everyone else first..."

"Saraya would have let her die, wouldn't she?"

"Oh yeah. No question. Mum hates her."

He laughed. "Maybe now Aunt Nikki will learn something about being a good person."

"Well, my _cousin_ Nicky was on time yesterday, so I guess _anything's_ possible!"

They laughed and made small talk while Trixie ordered her mother's favorite breakfast and something for herself to go. It wasn't until Trixie was about to leave that Brandon said, "So...Danny saved you, huh?"

Trixie nodded. "If he hadn't knocked me to the floor, I'd have been hit," she said. She was shaking at the memory.

"I should have stayed closer to you... I got caught up talking to Gabe-"

"It's okay. I'm fine."

"Because Danny saved you."

"Yeah..."

"Maybe we should pay him to be your bodyguard... It's interesting how he's always there lately."

Trixie caught a hint of jealousy in his tone. "Hey, none of that," she scolded him. "Danny's my friend and he has great timing, but _you're_ my boyfriend."

"I know... I just... It should have been me, Trix. I'm supposed to save my girlfriend's life, not some creep who, up until recently, was her biggest bully."

"Danny is _not_ a creep, Brandon! He doesn't have a lot of friends, that's all, so I decided he needed me to be one. And he was _never_ my biggest bully. That title belongs to your aunt."

Brandon looked like she'd slapped him. "I mean... I'm sorry," Trixie said quickly.

"No," he said. "You're right. Aunt Nicole is a _much_ bigger bully to you. _I'm_ sorry."

"You don't control her. Don't apologize."

"I love you, Trix... I just want to be your hero, you know?"

"You _are_ my hero, Brandon," she said. She kissed his cheek. "And I love you, too." She looked at the bags of food in her hands. "I need to get this home."

"I'll walk you."

She smiled. They were about to head out when she saw something that made her start crying. "Mum!" She shouted, running into her mum's arms. "You're _here_!"

"Just landed," Saraya confirmed. "I had a feeling you might be in here. Oh, God, Trixie... My girl... I... I thought..."

"I'm fine," Trixie promised.

"Rain check on the walk," Brandon said, knowing Trixie needed to be with her mothers. He kissed her and left.

"Is... Is your Mom? She isn't answering her phone."

"She's... _safe,_ " Trixie settled on a word. "She's not okay, but she's not hurt."

"Scared to death, I'd wager."

"Broken, Mum... She's _broken_." Trixie started to cry harder as she blurted out, "Show's gone, Mum! He jumped in front of a bullet for her and... and he didn't make it. He... He was in her arms. " She couldn't say he was dead or that he'd died in her mom's arms. Those words were harsh and permanent and she wasn't ready to accept them quite yet.

Saraya turned paler than usual. "Bloody hell," she whispered. Tears streamed down her own cheeks now. She was holding Trixie so tight it was hard to breathe, but Trixie didn't care.

Together, they walked back to the house. When Saraya opened the door, Cayla was still staring at the wall. Saraya ran to her side and pulled her into her arms. Together, all three of them cried.

"I'm bloody famished," Saraya said to break the silence as she pulled herself together. She pulled out the food Trixie had picked up and insisted Trixie eat. Then she made herself a quick snack and sent Trixie to her room so she could be alone with Cayla.

Trixie listened to her mum talk for a long time, but her mom never responded. Her mum's voice steadily got lower. Hours later, when Trixie decided she needed air, she found her mom curled up in her mum's arms. Cayla's breakfast sat on the kitchen counter completely untouched. Neither of her mothers even noticed when she slipped out the front door.


	26. Chapter 26

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX**

 _ **TRIXIE**_

She wasn't really sure what she was going to do, but she'd had to get out of that house. Seeing her mom broken and her mum unable to help her was too much. She felt like the walls were closing in and threatening to crush her. This was how she found herself walking aimlessly late at night.

"What, no mugger?" A voice asked.

Trixie jumped and spun around. Danny was smirking at her. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?" She asked.

"Well, every time I run into you lately, another lunatic is messing with you. I just figured if you were walking around late at night by yourself, you were going to get mugged next," Danny said casually. "Or maybe an angry stray dog is going to bite your leg off."

"That's ridiculous," Trixie said. Then she grinned at him and added, "Dogs _love_ me."

Danny studied her. "You're smiling, but your eyes aren't."

"What?" She asked.

"You're usually all sunshine and happiness like some manic pixie, but right now, you look… _haunted_." He hesitated before asking, "Are you okay?"

Trixie was surprised by his concern. "I… Yeah," she said quickly.

"Trixie, you're a shitty liar."

"I know." She sighed. "Okay, fine. I'm not okay. I'm trying to be, but… I'm not."

"You got shot at yesterday. It's okay not to be all happy all the time right now."

"Danny… What are you doing here?"

He seemed confused by the subject change. "Walking. Same as you."

"It's a big city. You ended up here, just like me."

He looked at her and shrugged. "Maybe I was worried you were gonna get in trouble again. You're awesome at attracting the attention of psychopaths."

She smiled sadly. "I appreciate you looking out for me… You're sweet."

He laughed. "Sweet? Did you _seriously_ just call _me_ sweet?"

"Yeah, because it's true. You've been really sweet to me the last few days."

"I don't think anyone has ever used that word to describe me. You're delusional. You know that, right?"

"I'm not delusional. Beneath that jerk façade is a really nice guy, Danny Huber."

He shook his head. "Keep telling yourself that."

"You're just stubborn. You may not see it, Danny, but _I_ do. If you were the creep everyone thinks you are, you wouldn't have saved my life. _Twice_."

"Maybe I just have thrill issues. I like adrenaline."

"You like _me._ " She grinned at him. "And I like you, too. You're not so bad, Tough Guy."

"Maybe I'm just trying to get into your pants. You're sort of cute, you know."

"You're not subtle. You would have hit on me by now."

"Wait, you mean I _haven't_ yet? Man, I'm slacking. I usually hit on every single thing in a skirt. It was a problem when WWE went to Scotland."

Trixie looked at him to see if he was serious. He smirked at her. They both started laughing. Too soon, Trixie stopped as her thoughts wandered back to her home.

"Hey… Where'd you go?" Danny asked, snapping her back to attention.

"I…" She sighed. "Things are just hard right now."

He looked at her and frowned. "It's like the universe is even more fucked-up than usual when you're all upset… It's just _wrong_. One basic truth of this world is that _you_ are annoyingly happy all of the time."

"You think I'm annoying?" Trixie asked.

"I used to," Danny admitted. "But don't feel bad. I hate pretty much _everyone_. I don't _do_ shiny, happy people."

"Well, lucky for you, I'm not shiny _or_ happy right now."

Danny looked genuinely bothered by this. He touched her arm gently. She looked at him and he said, "All sarcasm aside for a second… You can talk to me, Trixie. Really. I'm a jackass, but… Well, you're not so bad. And people like you deserve to have people they can talk to. I'm sure I'm really low on your list of candidates, but-"

Trixie hugged him. Just like the last time she'd done this, he stiffened before accepting it. It was almost like she shocked him every time she gave him a hug, but she'd always been a hugger.

"See?" She asked him sadly. "You _are_ sweet."

"Lies."

Trixie paused before deciding she really _did_ need someone to talk to. "I don't know how to deal with what happened," she admitted. "I know I'm a wrestler, but I hate pointless violence, and I've never seen anyone get shot before… And… Show was really close to my mom. He was like my surrogate grandfather. He always took care of my mom, and when I was born, he just doted on me like a grandparent would… He was such a great guy, you know? And now he's just… _Gone._ That lunatic was about to shoot my mom and Show saved her life… I watched him shoot him, Danny… I watched Show _die,_ and I couldn't do anything, and I was so scared he was going to shoot my mom next, and he nearly shot _me…_ He was after my aunt. He had a gun aimed at my uncle. He killed a guy who was barely older than I am… It's too much!" She was shaking.

She didn't even realize Danny had moved until she felt his arms around her. "I know," he said. "You have every right to freak out."

"I can't see the world as shiny and happy all the time anymore. It's… _darker_ , Danny. It's _tainted_."

He nodded. "It's _always_ been tainted, Trixie… You're just one of those rare pure souls who never saw it that way."

"And the worst part is my mom… She's not okay. She's not even close. Mum came home today and tried to get her to talk, but Mom wouldn't say anything… She spent all night holding me, but she didn't sleep… And she just stared off into space all day… She won't eat… She's not talking anymore… I… I'm _scared_ for her."

Danny pulled away. Trixie looked into his eyes and saw something she didn't expect. She couldn't quite tell what it was, but she knew Danny understood what she was talking about. The pain in his face was clear.

"I get it," he said. "My mom…" He paused. He clearly wasn't used to talking about anything this personal. "Forget it. I'm sorry your mom is having issues."

"Hey, this friendship thing goes both ways, Danny. _You_ can talk to _me,_ too," Trixie said.

He looked like he didn't want to. It surprised her when he took a deep breath and said, "My mom had a lot of issues when I was growing up. She… She went through a lot, you know? Getting pregnant… Especially because it was apparently… I mean… What he did to her. It fucked her up."

Trixie's heart broke for him. Danny had just learned he was the result of a rape. That couldn't be easy for him to deal with. "It wasn't your fault, Danny," she said quickly.

"But she had to be reminded of it all the time because she decided to keep me. Anyway, she had some really bad days… She'd lay in bed staring off into space, refusing to move. She wouldn't answer me when I called her. She'd cry all day… She was practically catatonic. I remember she wouldn't cook or even eat, so I had to learn how…" He stared off into space. "When I was old enough to do more than stuff cereal into my mouth out of the box, I started figuring out how to cook. Mom had enough functional days that I got to see her do it sometimes, so I just sort of learned by watching… I'd make sandwiches or whatever… And eventually, when I was seven or so, I started watching these cooking shows so I could figure out how to make something more substantial… And I'd make sure she ate, even if she didn't want to."

"Danny…" Trixie whispered. "My God, that's so awful."

"It wasn't all the time… She had good days. She kept up the act as much as she could, but she was just so fucked up… I was five the first time she…" He stopped.

"The first time she what?" Trixie asked.

"I found her on the couch in the middle of the night… There was this bottle of pain killers on the floor, and she'd dropped her glass of water… I didn't understand why she wasn't waking up when I called for her, and when I shook her…"

"Oh my God…"

"I watched a lot of TV when Mom was having bad days. I knew that when someone was sick, you called 911… So I called. And they saved her life. I stayed with my father for a month while she got treatment…" He shook his head. "That sucked. I was pretty relieved when she came back and I didn't have to deal with him all the time anymore… And things were okay for a while. She had some bad days, but she didn't try to kill herself… But when I was eleven, it happened again. She claimed it was an accident, but she took an overdose of her anxiety meds…"

Trixie was stunned by this information. Her mom was close to Danielle, but she'd never told her any of this. She was also shocked to see Danny looking so vulnerable. "I'm so sorry, Danny," she said.

"It was three months that time. Three months of hell, living with my father while she got help… And she came back great. She was happy and everything was okay." He looked away from her as he said, "Until one day, when I was thirteen. I cut school. Mom was supposed to be out, so I headed home early… And I found her in the bathroom… She'd slit her wrists. There was so much blood, but she was still alive because I must have gotten home right after she did it… I had to stop the bleeding and call an ambulance at the same time… And she made it. That time, she got better treatment. Knowing what it did to me… Seeing how much I freaked out finding her like that… She realized she had to get better. And she did. She stayed in therapy instead of stopping, and she stayed on her medication, and ultimately, she was okay. She never tried to kill herself again."

Trixie made him look at her. He quickly wiped at his eyes and she knew he'd been crying, even though he hid it well. "Danny, you are _so_ strong to have survived all of that!" She said. She hugged him. This time, he didn't stiffen. He just slumped slightly, like he'd given up fighting, and allowed her to comfort him.

"I didn't tell you so you'd tell me I was strong," Danny said finally. "I told you because I want you to know when I say I get it, I do. You aren't overreacting by freaking out about your mom. It could get worse. You need to make sure someone gets her the help she needs before it does."

"I'm so scared I'm going to lose her… I've never seen her so broken. She's had some issues over the years, but never like this…"

"I know how scary it is to watch your mother slip away from you… What it's like to have her right in front of you, but be unable to reach her. I don't want you to go through what I did, Trixie. You don't deserve that."

"Neither did you."

He shrugged. "I can't change the past. I'm just glad my mom is doing better now." He looked at her. "I never really told anyone about any of this. Keep it to yourself, okay?"

"I promise… Thank you for trusting me with it."

"You needed to know someone understood… You shouldn't have to deal with this alone."

"I wish you hadn't."

"Yeah, well… I'm used to being alone." He looked at her. "Are you hungry?"

"That was an abrupt subject change."

"It's not polite to point that out when I'm obviously trying to distract you from what I don't want to talk about." He gave her a small smile. "And that wasn't an answer."

"Yeah, I am. I haven't eaten since breakfast."

"Then you're in luck. I'm feeding you. Pick a place."

"Danny, you don't have to-"

"No shit. I _want_ to."

She smiled. "Okay… I know a great place. Come on." She led the way to her favorite burger place. Trixie had never been one of those girls who refused to eat out of fear of gaining weight. She worked out to balance out her occasionally poor eating habits.

Danny looked like he was in Heaven when he saw the burger in front of him. "You know the way to a man's heart," he told her.

They talked over their dinner before he walked her home. When Trixie walked back in the house, her mothers had moved to their bedroom. She hoped that meant her mom had gotten up and walked, but she was worried her mum had carried her. Saraya might be shorter than Cayla, but she was strong and Cayla was very thin. It wasn't impossible that she'd picked her up and carried her inside. She tried not to worry about that as she crawled into her bed. Within the hour, she woke up screaming.

Her mum ran into the room. "Oh, Luv," she whispered. She hugged her and comforted her.

"Mum…" Trixie whispered. "Can I sleep with you guys tonight?"

Saraya held her closer. "Of course you can."

Trixie spent the rest of the night between her mothers. Cayla wasn't saying much, but every time Trixie woke up from a nightmare, she immediately went into comforting mode. It was the only time her mom seemed to come back to life. Trixie wasn't sure what terrified her more, the nightmares or what was happening to her mom.

 _ **DEAN**_

It really sucked getting shot. Dean was not looking forward to the recovery process. His doctor was sitting with him now. Molly and Keith had gone to get some food, although he knew they weren't far. Molly was still refusing to leave his side for more than a few minutes at a time.

"Lay it on me, Doc. How long am I fucked for?" Dean asked.

The doctor gave him an indulgent smile. _She's kind of hot,_ Dean noticed. "I know you're eager to get back in the ring, but you're not quite ready yet," she told him.

"I got back in the ring after someone tried to fucking scalp me, and you're telling me I'm not ready yet after a bullet hit me in a not-too-serious area?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm aware of your… _colorful_ history, Mr. Good."

He cringed at the use of his birth name, one he hadn't used in two decades. "Ugh! If you _were_ , you'd know no one fucking calls me that. It's Dean. Or, if you insist on being formal, Mr. Ambrose or even fucking Mr. Moxley, but there's no need to be so polite. _I'm_ sure as fuck not."

"My apologies. I know your legal name is still Jonathan Good. I didn't realize you hated it so much."

"Well, I do. So just pick one of the other names, okay?"

She smiled. "Moxley _does_ suit you. You've got plenty of it."

 _Is she flirting with me?_ He wondered. It certainly seemed that way. "Um… Thanks," he said. "So what do I call _you_?"

"I'm Doctor Klein… But you can call me Sherri."

" _Sensational_ , Sherri," he said. _Bad puns… These drugs they have me on are fucking with me,_ he thought.

She grinned. "Nice one, _Moxley_ ," she said.

He appreciated that she at least got the reference. "So, what do I have to do to get out of here?" He asked.

"Oh, you'll be ready to be discharged by tomorrow. You're healing nicely. We just want to monitor you for another day to make sure everything stays stable."

"Great. And then I can get back in the ring?"

"Nice try. No, you need to take time to heal. The bullet may have missed the important organs, but that doesn't mean it didn't do a number on you."

"Fuck that piece of shit bullet. I'm tougher."

"Of course you are… But you need to let the wound close up before you can get back in the ring. Give yourself at least a month. You may think you're fine, but your body disagrees."

"A fucking _month_? Ugh."

"It could have been a lot worse."

She was right about that. "Fine… And if I have any issues, can I call you?"

"If you have any issues, you should _definitely_ call me."

"Great. What's your number?" He asked flirtatiously.

She laughed. "Smooth," she said. Then, to his surprise, she wrote it down and handed it to him.

 _Looks like I've still got it,_ he thought. He might never use it, but he needed a distraction, and flirting with his doctor seemed to be doing the trick for the moment.

Molly came back into the room then and Sherri the Hot Doctor left. He shifted so Molly could climb back into the bed with him. That was when he noticed how exhausted Keith looked.

"When's the last time you slept?" He asked Keith.

"Oh, you know… I took a nap while you were unconscious," Keith replied.

"Keith…" He shook his head. "I've got Molly. Go get some real rest, in a bed, okay?"

"I'd rather stay here and make sure you guys are okay."

He was kind of touched. Then again, Keith was Corri's son. The kid was family. "We're fine, but _you_ won't be if you don't sleep." He paused. "We're safe here, Keith. Don't worry. We'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Reluctantly, Keith nodded. "I'll be back first thing," he promised them.

Molly kissed him before he left. Dean saw the look in her eyes afterward and said, "He's a good kid."

"He's the best," Molly agreed. "I wouldn't have made it through all of this without him."

"I'm sorry, Offspring. I know I scared you."

"Sire… Why'd you do it?"

He looked at her. "It was a reflex. I saw a gun. I reacted."

"His Royal Dickface owes you a life debt now, Sire."

"He's giving me the title."

Molly laughed. "Leave it to Dickface to think _that's_ the answer…"

"Well, you know, they give it to me so rarely…"

"I would have been sad if he died… He's a pain in my ass, but he's like family… But you? That… That would have been impossible."

"I'm sorry… I know I traumatized the hell out of you."

"You saved his life, Sire. I'm not mad that you're a hero. I already _knew_ that. Well, maybe an _anti_ hero, at least. But you're the bravest man I know. Of _course_ you saved his life."

He held her a little closer. "I'm not that brave, Molly. I'm just impulsive."

"No… You're brave. You just don't realize it." She kissed his cheek. "However, if you _ever_ almost die on me again, I'll have to kill you, Sire."

"Noted. I'll do my best." He felt Molly relax against him. Together, they drifted off to sleep.

 _ **RANDY**_

It had been a rough day. Corri had been kidnapped by the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega. Randy didn't mind that so much. It wasn't the first time the Bucks had shown up and kidnapped Corri, and considering they'd saved her life, he knew they'd take care of her. He also knew she needed them right now. He just hated being alone.

He'd checked on Keith and Nicky. Keith had spent all day with Molly, and that was exactly where he needed to be. The poor girl was completely traumatized and he couldn't blame her. He was proud of Keith for taking care of her, and even more proud that he'd helped keep so many people safe the day before. He'd been worried about Nicky until Nicky sent him a video of him training with AJ. He had to admit, Nicky pulled off the Styles Clash even better than AJ did. It made him smile.

But now, it was late, and he was exhausted. Randy tried to get some sleep. That had probably been a mistake.

 _He was back at the party. The shooter was pointing the gun at Cayla. Show got shot. Randy had no idea where his wife and sons were, but he knew Trixie was still in the room and Cayla was about to be killed._

You have to protect her, _he thought. Cayla was more than just some in-law to him. She was his sister. He loved her as family, and he'd do anything to keep her safe. She meant the world to Corri and he couldn't let anyone hurt her._

 _He looked around the room. Trixie was safe. Somehow, she'd gotten to Fred and Thaddeus. He knew they'd protect her. Ginny was there, too. He looked behind him and saw Cody and Brandi in another corner. They looked terrified, but they were safe. Paul was in shock and trying to keep a low profile so the shooter didn't turn that gun back on him. Dean lay on the floor bleeding. Randy couldn't tell if he was alive or dead._

" _Answer me, Cayla!" The shooter shouted. He was demanding to know where Corri was. This lunatic had tried to kill Paul, a man Randy considered to be family, and now he was aiming a gun at Cayla because he wanted to kill Randy's wife. He had to do something, and he needed to do it quickly._

" _She's not here!" Randy said. A quick assessment told him how he needed to handle this kid. He had to draw his attention away from Cayla somehow or she'd be killed. "You wanna threaten someone with your big gun because you think that makes you a big man? Threaten_ me _. Let's see who's tougher, Kid."_

 _The shooter wasn't happy being challenged. He turned on Randy, which meant Cayla was safe. Randy had been in this situation before. He'd been shot at. He'd been a Marine… He could handle this._

The dream shifted.

 _Randy was in his Marine uniform. The enemy was firing on them. He could feel terror threatening to consume him as he watched people getting shot and falling to the ground around him. His heart was racing. He couldn't breathe. He was going to die._

 _He turned around as someone cried his name. It was Corri. She was standing behind him, reaching for him, when a bullet hit her and she fell down dead at his feet._

Randy woke up screaming. He couldn't catch his breath. His heart felt like it was trying to escape from his chest. He stared at the empty spot on the bed. Corri wasn't there. He started to panic, but then he remembered she was with the Bucks and Kenny. It only helped slightly. He knew Corri was safe. He'd seen her after the shooting at the party. She'd been in his arms that night. She certainly hadn't been in the Marines with him. His mind was playing tricks on him. Rationally, he understood that, but he couldn't shake the panic at seeing her dead in his dream.

He pulled out his cell phone and dialed her number. Corri picked up on the second ring. "What's wrong?" She asked. "It's late… Randy, what happened?"

He felt bad for scaring her. "I just needed to hear your voice," he said. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to worry you."

Corri's tone softened. "Bad dreams?" She asked.

"Yeah… I just needed to know you're alright."

"I'm fine. The guys are taking good care of me… I can come home if you need me."

"No… No, I'm okay now. Just stay with them. I know it helps when you're freaked out." He took a deep breath, calming down slightly now that his body seemed to comprehend that she really _was_ still alive. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

They hung up and Randy took several more deep breaths. His heartrate was slowing down. He tried to relax, but he knew he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep until she was safe in his arms again.


	27. Chapter 27

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN**

 _ **NICKY**_

Everything was fine... until Nicky tried to sleep. He could brush everything off and pretend none of it had happened until he closed his eyes for too long... Then he would remember. The gunshot, the screams, Molly's panic, not knowing if Dean was alive or dead... The knowledge that his parents could be next...

 _Stop it!_ Nicky screamed in his mind, but the images just rushed at him faster, mocking him.

After his mother had nearly started doing shots with him, Nicky had decided drinking wasn't the answer. He felt horrible that he'd nearly sent his mother over the edge, and he didn't want to make it worse. The problem was, he was freaking out and only drinking had helped.

What happened next wasn't intentional. He'd been taking his medications as prescribed. The Adderall was working well. He was focused. The problem came with the Xanax. That was an "as needed" medication for his anxiety, and right now, he was a giant ball of nerves... Raw, exposed nerves the world was poking with needles. He started popping the Xanax like Skittles, taking one or two every couple of hours. This calmed his nerves. The problem was, it also made him sleepy, and in sleep he saw things he couldn't handle.

Some of it was what had actually happened. The rest was his mind playing cruel tricks on him. He saw the shooter pop up in random places, like the mall or at a restaurant. It varied who and where, but it always ended the same way... His mother got shot in the head. His father landed dead at his feet. His aunt had a bullet fly through her heart. His cousin... His cousin stared up at him from a pool of blood, her eyes open and accusing...

Nicky screamed as he woke from that one. He couldn't keep doing this. The Xanax made him tired. The Adderall woke him up. He _had_ to stay awake. He couldn't live with those images... Every time he started to feel drowsy, Nicky took an Adderall. It did the trick. He could calm his constant panic and stay awake at the same time.

After the shooting, WWE cancelled their next week of shows and stayed local. They taped their shows, but only those who volunteered worked. Everyone was advised to talk to Dr. Cove. In fact, Stephanie brought in two other therapists to back him up, people who specialized in trauma. The immediate roster consisted of unlikely pairs. Brandon, Lucas, and Danny were some of the first to volunteer. Brandon insisted he was fine. Lucas said it was the only way to cope with things. Danny didn't express his opinion, but stated he was more than willing to work. Almost none of the women had returned to work. Most were taking at least a week off to make sense of things. Although Creative had asked Nikki, who never missed a chance to return in some way, to be on air for the women, she had refused. Brie had agreed to help out since Nikki was too traumatized. Nattie was back full time. They'd even asked Mercedes, better known as Sasha Banks, and Tenille to come back. Mercedes had immediately accepted. Tenille agreed to help but only as absolutely needed. The current women's roster was small and most of them were too traumatized to return to work. The men weren't much better. Retired superstars had been called back to work to keep the company going until the current roster could return. Stephanie was shaken, but she'd shifted into business mode, focusing entirely on damage control and taking care of her people. Paul, on the other hand, had snapped. He was taking an indefinite leave of absence. In his absence, Shane had returned. It had been a long time since Shane McMahon had been in the public eye, but right now, his sister desperately needed his help if there was any hope of saving the company.

Things were changing. Nicky thought about going back, but the rest of his family was taking time off. He decided to follow their lead. Today, however, everyone would be together.

He looked at the suit he wore and barely recognized himself. A knock on his door startled him. He opened it and saw Molly in an elegant black dress. He'd never seen her dressed like that before. She looked beautiful, even in her grief.

"You clean up nice, Nicky," she said with a sad smile.

"We figured we should go together," Keith said, causing Nicky to realize he was there. He wore a suit nearly identical to Nicky's. "No one should be alone today."

"What about Trixie?" Nicky asked.

"She's coming with her moms."

"Is Aunt Cay...?" Nicky started to ask hopefully.

"She's still the same," Keith said quickly. "But Trixie insisted she's going today."

It scared Nicky to know his aunt was in such bad shape, but maybe today would help. Funerals were meant to provide closure, and maybe that was all she needed.

"Come on, Nicky," Molly said gently. She took his arm.

 _We're doing this,_ he thought. _It's real... It's all real..._

"I just need the bathroom quick," Nicky said.

"Make it fast," Keith said. "We don't want to be late."

Nicky hurried into the bathroom. He opened the bottle of Xanax and stared at his reflection. _Breathe,_ he told himself. _Just take a deep breath..._ He couldn't. He took out two of the pills and swallowed them. Almost immediately, he felt calmer. He knew he couldn't risk getting drowsy, so he also took another Adderall. After another minute, he was able to calm his breathing. He rejoined Molly and Keith and they left to do the unthinkable.

 _ **SARAYA**_

This was proving to be a tad more difficult than she'd expected. "Cayla, luv, we have to leave," Saraya said gently. "We'll be late if we wait much longer."

"No," Cayla said so softly, Saraya thought she'd imagined it.

"Cayla-"

"No." This one was louder and firmer. It was also the first time Cayla had spoken in three days.

Saraya wanted to fling her arms around her in relief at this small utterance, but she kept herself composed. "Luv, today is the funeral-"

"I _know_ what day it is!" Cayla snapped. She was dressed and ready to go, so that was probably true, but with her being a half-step above catatonic for the last few days, Saraya couldn't be certain. What she _was_ certain of was how stunned she was by Cayla's reaction. Cayla _never_ yelled at her. "Cayla..." She said gently.

"I'm not doing this."

"Luv, we _have_ to go. You won't forgive yourself if you don't-"

"If I don't _what?_ If I don't go up to his wife... His _widow_ and tell her that _I'm_ the reason her husband is dead?! You think _that_ will make me _forgive_ myself? I don't _deserve_ forgiveness!" Cayla threw her purse across the room.

That was when Saraya heard a very scared voice squeak out, "Mom?"

Trixie stood in the doorway looking terrified. "Mom, are you okay?" She asked.

Cayla looked horrified by her own behavior. "Trixie..." She said softly. "I'm sorry, Baby... I... I shouldn't have done that." She turned to Saraya. "I'm _so_ sorry... You didn't deserve to be yelled at... That wasn't about you."

"It's alright, Luv," Saraya said quickly. "I know that."

"I didn't mean to yell at you... I was yelling at _myself._ "

"You shouldn't do that, either, Cayla. You _also_ don't deserve it."

"He..." She shook her head. "It's my fault, Saraya."

"No. It's not. It's that bloody mental kid's fault. He fired the gun, Cayla, _not_ you."

"I knew he wasn't okay... And he was trying to shoot _me._ "

"He was a nutter. You aren't responsible for any nutter but _me._ "

"If I go today, then that's it. It becomes real. He'll _really_ be gone. He won't come back."

"Oh, Luv..." Saraya's heart was breaking. "It's real, Cayla. It happened, and whether you go or not, that won't change. I'm so sorry, but it won't... But if you don't go, you'll never get the chance to say goodbye."

"I don't _want_ to say goodbye..."

"I know. But you _need_ to, Luv. We _all_ do."

Trixie knelt in front of Cayla and took her hands in her own. "We're here, Mom. We're together," she said. "And we'll get through this together, just like we _always_ do."

Saraya was incredibly proud of her daughter as she watched this. She was equally proud of her wife when Cayla nodded and said, "Okay."

Together, they walked out of the house and headed toward the cemetery.

 _ **DEAN**_

The kids needed to be together for this. Dean had insisted Molly let him out of her sight so she could be with Keith and Nicky. She'd agreed only after Colby and Joe showed up and promised to keep him safe. Now the three Shield members stood side by side in a cemetery, gathered around a casket that had to be custom made for the very big man who lay inside.

Dean shook off flashes of Big Show's dead body and tried to imagine him alive. Unless he was pissed, he'd always been smiling and laughing. He had been a good man. And now he was dead. Life sucked like that.

"You okay?" Colby asked knowingly.

"Fucking great," Dean mumbled.

Joe squeezed his shoulder supportively. Dean looked at him. "Do you think I'd have had this many people turn out if I'd died?" He asked casually.

"You're a morbid son of a bitch," Colby scolded him. "Don't talk like that! You're _fine._ " It was then that Dean realized Colby was more traumatized by the fact that he'd been shot than _he_ was. He felt bad suddenly for his words.

"You'd have had _more_ ," Joe said suddenly. "All of this, plus your army of psychotic fangirls."

Dean looked back at him. Joe was trying to sound calm, but he looked as traumatized as Colby. Dean knew then that by getting shot before their eyes, he had broken something in his brothers that he wanted desperately to fix. Joe dealt better. He had seen more. He could handle that things like this happened in the world sometimes. But Colby? He was pure. Sometimes, he was even child-like. Joe and Dean had always fought to protect Colby from things that might dim his light. He hated seeing the broken look in his eyes now.

"Colby..." Dean started, but what could he really say? "I'm sorry."

"For the comment? It's fine. Forget it," Colby said. It was clear he was embarrassed by his outburst.

"For giving you too much of a view into the world I grew up in, where getting shot isn't a big shock." He sighed. "It was a reflex."

"You saved Paul's life," Joe said quickly. "It was the right thing to do."

"It wasn't worth the risk," Colby said. "Why is it _always_ you, Dean? Couldn't someone else take the risk this _one_ time?" He shook his head. "I refuse to watch you die... I _can't_."

"I'm not going anywhere," Dean promised. He'd told Molly the same thing. He couldn't believe this single act of heroism had broken so many people he loved.

Joe moved closer to Colby, which seemed to calm him slightly. Dean looked around and saw how upset everyone was. Even Nikki Fucking Bella stood crying her eyes out. Normally, Dean would have said it was rehearsed and fake, but he suspected Nikki was actually crying because _she_ had nearly been shot. She had almost died, and the only reason she'd lived was because this man died saving the woman who saved _her_.

He spotted Molly with Keith and Nicky. They stood close to Corri and Randy. Molly nodded at him in acknowledgement. Dean noticed AJ stuck to Corri like glue. He suspected the Bullet Club was lurking nearby to help her through this.

 _I hope it's enough,_ he thought. He knew how Corri's mind worked, and although she kept a calm exterior, he was worried she wasn't dealing with this well. He'd definitely be keeping an eye on her for a while.

 _ **CORRI**_

If she could get through this day without falling off the wagon, she could do _anything._ Corri had already attended poor Joshua's funeral the day before. It had nearly broken her to watch his mother weep for her dead son... But she hadn't gotten drunk or high. She'd let the Bucks and Kenny and AJ take her out afterward instead. She'd cried on their shoulders. She'd told them it was her fault. She'd screamed about how unfair it all was... She'd even punched AJ just to get her aggression out, which he'd insisted she do because she needed it. But she had remained sober. That was what mattered.

She could tell Randy was trying to remain strong. He kept his face stoic as the funeral began. Corri knew she was the only one who saw the pain he held back.

It surprised her that Paul held back nothing. He wept openly as the ceremony progressed. Stephanie stood by his side trying to comfort him. _What a reversal of roles,_ Corri thought. Then again, _everything_ was upside-down right now.

She inched toward Paul. No one stopped her. She took the hand Stephanie wasn't holding in her own. Surprised, Paul looked at her with tears in his eyes. She knew then that he felt just as guilty as she did. She squeezed his hand supportively and he nodded in appreciation. For the rest of the funeral, she stayed by his side. She'd never understood Paul as well as she did right now.

 _We both have blood on our hands,_ she thought. At least she felt less alone.

 _ **TRIXIE**_

She'd stayed close to her mothers for the duration of the funeral, but now that it was over she hurried to Brandon. He pulled her into his arms. She was crying.

"It's okay, honey," Brandon said. "It's over."

"Is it?" Trixie asked.

"Of course it is."

"How do we know bad things won't keep happening?"

"Trixie, that's not like you."

"Maybe it is now..." She shook her head. "Maybe the world is darker than I thought."

"Come on, don't say that. You can't let this change who you are, Trix. It's over. We survived. Your family survived. Everyone you love is fine-"

Trixie pulled away sharply. "Fine? _Fine?!_ " She gestured to the casket. "Did you forget why we're here? Show is _dead_."

"I know, but... Your family's okay, Trix. That's what I meant."

"Are you _serious_ right now? Show _was_ my family! He was like a surrogate grandfather. How could you say something so insensitive?"

"I didn't mean-"

"Stop. Just... Don't. I can't do this right now." She started to walk away.

Brandon grabbed her arm. "Trix-"

"Let me go." She tried to pull her arm free.

"Trixie, just _listen_ to me for a second! I'm sorry. What I said was stupid. I just don't want you to change who you are. You see the world as this sparkly, happy place, and that's beautiful... _You're_ beautiful."

"Not anymore," Trixie said.

"Trix-"

"I'm _not_ that girl anymore, Brandon. I _can't_ be. She died at that party."

"Don't be so dramatic. She's still in there."

"Dramatic?! This is how I _feel,_ Brandon! I'm not being dramatic, I'm being _honest_." She shook her head. "We're all going to Show's house to mourn with his family. I need to go." She walked away.

Trixie numbly watched everyone gather around Show's widow. They ate, talked, and shared stories about Show with each other. People cried, but mostly, they laughed. They tried to heal from their grief. Trixie wanted to do that, too, but then she saw her mom.

Cayla was staring at the photos of Show on the wall. She refused to eat, insisting she wasn't hungry. Finally, Cayla stood up and nearly fell back down.

Randy reached her first and steadied her. "Cayla, when's the last time you ate?" He asked gently.

"I..." Cayla began, but she couldn't answer the question.

Corri pulled out a bar of chocolate. Cayla tried to refuse that, too, but Corri gently said, "Show would want you to try."

Trixie watched her mom try to eat the chocolate. She gripped it with trembling hands, but she couldn't seem to remember how to eat it. When Corri finally broke off a small piece and got Cayla to take a bite, Cayla started crying.

Trixie couldn't keep watching this. She slipped outside for some air. She was fine until she heard a loud sound that made her panic.

 _Gun,_ she thought. She cowered, trembling and unable to breathe as she covered her head.

"Trixie..." A voice said. Someone tried to touch her. She pulled away violently as terror seized her.

"Trixie! It was a _car,_ Trixie. The engine backfired. It's okay. You're safe," the voice insisted.

Trixie looked up and saw a hand extended toward her. She followed it up the owner's arm and kept going until she saw his face. "Danny?" She asked.

It was a fair question. He was nearly unrecognizable. He wore a black suit and his long black hair had been pulled back into a neat braid. His blue eyes pierced her as he watched her. "It's okay," he said again. "You're safe."

She couldn't help but notice how nicely Danny cleaned up. Once she'd found him too harsh to be handsome, but now she saw beyond the rage. She could see his pain, his vulnerability... She shook her head, trying not to pay so much attention to how attractive he was. What was wrong with her?

"I... I'm sorry," Trixie said, letting him help her back up.

"It's PTSD, Trixie. War veterans go through the same thing," he said. "You went through hell. It's okay to freak out once in a while. Don't apologize."

"It's just... It's been a rough week."

"I know." He paused. "You wanna talk?"

"The funeral was hard... More than hard. Impossible. And then Brandon tried brushing off how I feel ... He just wants me to get over it and be the old me... But I can't be her."

"He's an idiot." Danny studied her. "He needs to treat you better."

"He tries... He just can't understand this."

"Then he needs to fake it."

"It's not just him... My mom... She isn't eating, Danny. She almost collapsed... And she flipped on my mum and had a meltdown... She won't even eat chocolate. She's in bad shape... And I don't know how to fix her, and I just feel really, really alone..."

To her shock, Danny pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Even more to her shock, she _really_ liked the way he kissed. Still, she pulled away.

"Danny, what are you _doing?_ " She asked. "I have a boyfriend!"

Danny actually looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry," he said. "That was out of line and excessively stupid, even for _me._ I just hate seeing you so upset. I guess I didn't want you to feel alone anymore."

Trixie was stunned. That was actually really sweet. "It's okay," she said. "I'm not mad... Just don't do it again."

"Right..." Danny was about to walk away.

"Wait!" Trixie said, not wanting him to think she was angry im spite of her words. "Walk me back in?"

"Sure... Okay." He guided her inside and left her with her mum.

 _What just happened?_ Trixie wondered. She loved Brandon, but she'd enjoyed Danny's kiss a little too much. What did it mean? She decided she'd have to ask Molly later, when they weren't at a funeral.


	28. Chapter 28

**TWENTY-EIGHT**

 _ **MOLLY**_

Trixie was standing outside of Molly's hotel room when she opened the door. Keith was fully dressed after spending the night. Molly saw the look on Trixie's face when she saw him.

"Keith, it's girl time," Molly said.

"Oh, no... I can come back later," Trixie insisted.

"Your face says otherwise."

"You okay, Trickster?" Keith asked.

"I'm fine."

"She's good," Molly said. "I've got this."

Keith nodded. He hugged Trixie. He was about to hug Molly, but she kissed him. Trixie didn't seem surprised. When Molly finally pulled away, Keith reluctantly left.

"Finally," Trixie said.

"Finally what?" Molly asked.

"You two!" Trixie grinned at her. "Oh, come on, Molly. It's obvious how you guys feel about each other."

"Maybe I just wanted to make out with him. He's an Orton. They're good at that."

"Ewwww, that's my cousins and uncle you're talking about! I don't need to know if they're good kissers." Trixie laughed.

"But they _are_ ," Molly teased. "Well, Keith and Nicky anyway, but just _look_ at Randy. The sexiness radiates off him. If he weren't with Corri, I'd hit that." Molly was only half-kidding. She'd had a crush on Randy before she knew what a crush was, but he'd become like an uncle to her and Corri had often filled in as her surrogate mother, so she would never cross that line.

"You are _so_ bad!"

"Yep!" Molly said cheerfully. "So what's on your mind? I could see in your eyes you were here with a Bestie Crisis. What is it?"

"I..." Trixie sighed. "Things are weird, Molly. I had a fight with Brandon."

"What did Goat Junior do?"

"He just doesn't get me right now... I'm... _different_ since everything happened."

"Trix, you were trapped in a room with an active shooter who tried to kill you, your mom, your uncle, and...and the Sire." Molly tried not to focus on that last part. "Of _course_ you're different."

"He pretty much told me I should be fine... That I should go back to being Shiny, Happy Trixie... That no one I loved died-"

"He said _what?!"_ Molly demanded. "That dumb little shit! Big Show fucking _died_! To save your mom, in front of your eyes! How clueless is he?"

"We were by the casket when he said that." Trixie looked like she might cry.

"I'm going to fuck that idiot up!"

"No... Don't, Molly. He just doesn't get it."

"He's being an ass!"

"He's a good guy. I _love_ him... He loves _me."_

"Trix..." Molly could see how much that bastard had upset her best friend. All she wanted to do was stick a fork in him, but she hugged Trixie instead, because she knew she needed it. "Tragedy and stress are what bring out people's true colors, Trixie. Maybe the goat offspring is more like his egg donor and his incubator than you thought."

"But he's usually so _sweet,_ Molly."

"He usually has a sweet, perky girlfriend who loves glitter and sparkles and sunshine. Your biggest issue used to be that you're a spaz... He could catch your arm, steady you, play the hero, and solve everything with his pretty boy smile... But Trix... You're a different person now. I _hate_ that you had to see how ugly the world can get, but I can't change that. Maybe Brandon just can't handle you having a legitimate issue."

"He tried to stop me from walking away. He... he grabbed me."

" _Grabbed_ you? You should have slapped him!"

"It's not a big deal. He wasn't trying to hurt me or anything. He just wanted me to calm down and listen to him... I was just too angry."

"He's being a dick. Dump him."

"There's more..."

"What else?"

"At Show's house... I stepped out to get air, and then... Forget it." Trixie looked embarrassed.

"Then what, Trix?" Molly asked gently.

"It's stupid... This car backfired. It was no big deal, but I... I thought..." She was shaking.

"You thought it was a gun," Molly guessed. Trixie nodded. Molly's heart broke seeing Trixie like that. "Oh, Trix... It's PTSD. It's completely normal."

"I freaked out... And Danny came over and calmed me down. He let me know it was just a car, and we were safe..." She shook her head.

"Danny? The same Danny who saved you from two nut jobs in as many days?"

"Yeah... He realized I flew into this massive panic and talked me down, and then he stayed with me, and we talked... And I told him about my mom..." Trixie looked close to tears. "It's bad, Molly. She won't eat or even really talk unless I beg her to, and she snapped at Mum, and she just goes off in her head all the time... I'm scared for her. And Danny gets it, and he was trying to comfort me, and he... Sort of..." She stared at her shoes. "Danny _kissed_ me!"

Molly was genuinely surprised by this development, but it was certainly a welcome distraction from her own issues. "Wow," she said.

"And... um... I kind of _liked_ it... I didn't stop him right away because I _liked_ the kiss... But I love _Brandon."_

Molly wasn't sure if Trixie did love Brandon, but she certainly seemed attached to the idea of being his girlfriend. Right now, however, it sounded like Danny understood her more. Danny, the First-Class Jerk who'd tormented her had suddenly become her friend and protector. Trixie had that affect on people. Molly suspected her newly discovered sister would grow up to be just like Trixie, because she already affected people like that. They were the sort of people whose hearts were so pure, they transformed others into becoming better human beings. People like that should never be hurt, but both Randi and Trixie had been through horrible things. Randi was young and too innocent to understand what had happened to her, but Trixie was breaking... and it appeared that Danny, _not_ Brandon, had the glue to put her back together.

"Maybe you should tell Brandon you don't want to be exclusive," Molly suggested. "See where things go with Danny."

"But we told our parents we were in love! I broke Mum's golden rule about not dating the spawn of a Bella... Mom and Bryan fought Mum and Brie on it so we could be together... It... It's supposed to be forever."

"Trix... You're _eighteen._ You're supposed to be stupidly impulsive when it comes to things like this. Brandon's, what, _nineteen?_ You guys thought it was love because you're both romantic geeks... And maybe it _is,_ but until you're sure, you shouldn't rule out the possibility of others."

"I have to tell him about the kiss. Honesty's important..."

"So tell him. Just take it a step at a time. If you guys are meant to be together, you'll figure that out."

"Thanks... I just knew you'd be the only one who'd understand this."

"I'm here for you, Trix."

"I know. I'm here for you, too."

"I'm okay... Freaked out about things, but trying to deal... Keith helps. A lot. And knowing the Sire is okay helps, too."

"But you're still having issues," Trixie guessed.

"Yeah... But we _all_ are. I think I'm doing better than some of the others."

"You're stronger."

"I'm just so fucked up in the head that it's easier for me to understand that shit like this happens sometimes." She hugged Trixie again. "Go talk to Brandon."

"Okay," Trixie agreed. She left and Molly hoped she'd be okay. She also hoped that either Brandon got his act together or Danny won the war for Trixie's heart.

 _Something good needs to come from this,_ she thought. _Maybe that's a better relationship for Trixie, maybe not... But_ something _has to happen. There had to be a reason for this... Otherwise the world just sucks, and even though I'm pretty sure it does, I don't want that to be true for the few people that still see the good in it..._

She texted her Sire that she was coming by for lunch, then texted Keith where she would be. Walking through the hallway by herself, Molly felt exposed. She wished she'd waited for Keith to come meet her. That was an unfamiliar sensation. She was fiercely independent and always had been, but she hadn't gone anywhere alone since the shooting.

"Hey, Molly," a voice greeted her. She jumped.

 _Lucas,_ she registered. _It's_ just _Lucas. Relax._

"Hey," she said casually.

Lucas seemed to sense her thoughts. "Want some company?" He asked.

"I'm going to see the Sire."

"I'll walk with you. I've got some down time and wouldn't mind having someone to talk to."

Molly considered refusing his offer, but company honestly sounded like a good thing. "Sure, that's cool," she said calmly. Inside, she was full of gratitude. Without making her feel pathetic, Lucas had solved the problem of her being too nervous to walk alone.

He fell in step beside her and made easy small talk. Molly relaxed as they headed toward her Sire's room, and Lucas stayed with her until she was safely inside.

 _ **TRIXIE**_

Brandon was laughing with Gabe when Trixie found him. He smiled at her like nothing had happened. "Can we talk?" She asked.

"Those words are _never_ good," Gabe said cheerfully. "Good luck, Brandon. Remember, whatever you did, you're sorry and she's right!" He laughed as he walked away.

"What's up, Trixie?" Brandon asked.

"I... um..." Trixie sighed. "I know I flipped out on you yesterday, but you really upset me."

"I know... I'm a total bonehead. Of _course_ you're upset about Show... I just hate seeing you so lost in darkness. That's not you."

"It _is_ me right now, Brandon. That's what you don't get. I can't be that innocent little girl anymore, not after what we just lived through... It was too much."

"I know, Trix. I get it. I was there, too. But I'm trying not to dwell on it. You're alive and so am I, and that's what matters."

"You were there, but you _don't_ get it. He never fired a shot at you. Your parents weren't there. Your aunt almost got shot, but you _still_ don't get it." She shook her head. "Brandon, I need space. I... I think I want to open up our relationship a little."

"What? You're joking, right?" He looked hurt and she wanted to take it back, but then he added, "You're being ridiculous. We need to stay closer to each other right now, not 'open things up.' What does that even _mean?_ It's like you're a different person."

"Exactly! I _am_ a different person!"

"No, you're not."

"I kissed Danny!" She blurted out.

Brandon suddenly looked like _he_ was another person as pure rage flashed on his face. "What?!" He demanded.

Trixie shrank slightly at his anger. "He kissed me, but I let him... I stopped him, but not as quickly as I should have, and I came here to tell you the truth, because the truth is all I have left."

Brandon grabbed her by her shoulders and shook her. "How _could_ you?" He demanded.

"Brandon, stop! I'm sorry, alright? I _know_ I messed up, but I'm trying to do the right thing now."

"It's a little _late_ for that!" He was still gripping her arms. It hurt, so Trixie finally pulled away violently to free herself.

"I know... That's why I want to open things up. I love you... but I'm confused, and until I figure out how I feel, I'm not being fair to you."

" _None_ of this is fair to me... But it's not your fault. That asshole Danny confused you. He took advantage of you because you're not yourself."

"I'm not some kid he's manipulating-"

"Yes, you _are!"_

"Is that _really_ how you see me? Brandon, I'm _eighteen._ I make my own choices."

"I know, but he still took advantage of your grief... Forget it. I love you, Trixie. We'll work this out, but now, _I_ need space." He walked away.

Trixie's heart ached. She hated that she'd hurt him, but at the same time, he was being a jerk. After several minutes of debating with herself, she decided to go back home. She didn't make it that far.

There was a struggle. She could see Danny and Brandon beating the hell out of each other. "Stop it!" Trixie shouted in horror.

Danny immediately looked at her and put his hands down. Brandon, however, kept throwing punches. "Brandon, _stop!"_ Trixie cried out again. "Leave him alone! He's not fighting back!"

Brandon ignored her, so Trixie rushed to him, trying to pull him off of Danny. Brandon pushed her off of himself violently, but he didn't stop, so she tried again. One of his punches flew back and hit her hard in her stomach. Trixie lost her footing and stumbled backward, hitting the wall full force.

Everything was fuzzy for a moment. She could hear Danny shouting her name. Something wet dripped down her head. She touched it and her hand came away red.

 _Blood,_ she registered. _You're bleeding._

"Trixie... Oh my God!" Brandon said. "I... I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to... It was an accident!"

Trixie tried to regain her focus. She slowly stood up on her own. Then she looked at Brandon as blood fell down her face and said, "We're done."

"W-what?" He asked.

"You just ended our relationship."

"Trixie! I _said_ I was sorry. It was an _accident!_ I didn't do this on purpose."

"But you _did_ beat the crap out of someone who _wasn't fighting back_ and you _did_ hit me when I tried to stop you... And I am _not_ going to stay with someone whose temper is so bad that they hit blind rages and don't care who gets hurt."

"Trix, you're being unreasonable!"

"No, I'm not." She tried to walk away. That was when Brandon grabbed her arm. He grabbed her so hard, it hurt. He'd grabbed her twice before, but this time was the worst. She knew in that moment that, until then, she had never met the _real_ Brandon Danielson.

"Let her go," Danny said sharply.

"Stay the _hell_ out of this, Huber! She's _my_ girlfriend!" Brandon said.

"Not anymore," Trixie said firmly.

"Trix-"

"You heard her. Let her _go,_ asshole. You're _hurting_ her," Danny said.

Brandon glared at him. He pulled Trixie closer, still not letting go. She felt something shift painfully, a bone that had too much pressure on it. If this went on any longer, it might break. She was one hundred percent _done_ with this. She pulled her arm away.

That was when Keith and Nicky walked by. Upon seeing Trixie bleeding, they both immediately turned toward Danny. "What the fuck did you _do?"_ Keith demanded.

"It wasn't him!" Trixie shouted.

Keith immediately tried to check her head, but she pulled away. "Did you trip?" He finally asked.

"I-it was an accident," Trixie said. "They were fighting. I tried to break it up, and Danny stopped, but Brandon didn't, so I grabbed him, and he hit me, but it was an accident..." Things were turning fuzzy again. Trixie couldn't figure out what to do or say.

Keith tensed in anger. " _Brandon_ did this? I'm gonna kill you, you son of a-"

But Nicky beat Keith to it. He was on Brandon before anyone saw it coming. He was throwing punches harder than Trixie had ever seen before. He beat on him like a wild animal.

"Nicky!" Trixie cried in horror. "Nicky, _stop!"_

Nicky ignored her request, replying, "You're _bleeding!"_

Keith tried to stop his brother, but Brandon hit him, and now both of her cousins were beating on her now ex-boyfriend. "Stop it!" Trixie screamed, but it was like no one heard her. She couldn't breathe. She took off running, ignoring Danny as he called after her.

 _ **KEITH**_

This son of a bitch had made his baby cousin bleed. He had to pay. The only problem was, Nicky was taking it too far. He might actually beat the kid to death.

"Nicky, enough," Keith said.

"No! He hurt her!" Nicky shouted.

"Nick! Knock it off! You're gonna kill the guy!"

"So what? He _deserves_ it!" Nicky was still throwing punch after punch. Keith had never seen his brother lose it so badly. Sure, he'd beaten up Danny when Danny started picking on Trixie, but this was different. It was like he couldn't stop himself.

"Nicky, stop!" Keith pulled him off of Brandon. That was when he registered Danny had disappeared.

"Let _go_ of me!" Nicky shouted.

"No. Calm your ass down, Nicky! You're going too far!"

" _He_ went too far! He hurt Trix!"

"I know, but getting arrested for murder won't fix anything!"

Nicky pulled away from Keith and started swinging again. Keith couldn't believe this was his little brother. Nicky had never been prone to violent outbursts before. The only time he'd seen him go so far into a blind rage was the night he'd been drunk and Danny upset Trixie. This was about ten times as bad as that had been.

 _If it wasn't Nicky, I'd guess this was 'roid rage,_ Keith thought, but it _was_ Nicky, and there was no way he was on steroids. Their father had drilled into their heads how dangerous steroids were. Both brothers were too terrified to ever touch them.

Keith was about to try to grab Nicky again when someone else did. "Nicky!" Molly cried out in shock. "Nicky, _stop!"_

Nicky hesitated. He looked up at Molly. "He deserves it," he said.

"What the fuck is going on?" Molly demanded.

"He hurt Trix! Her head's cracked open!"

Rage flashed on Molly's face. Keith was worried she was going to tell Nicky it was a good idea to kill Brandon. Instead, she said, "Where _is_ she?"

"She ran off... Nicky wouldn't stop with the beatdown and she freaked out," Keith said.

"Go find her."

"He needs to _pay,"_ Nicky protested.

" _Nicky._ I've _got_ this. Go find Trixie." Molly had a look Keith knew too well. He'd seen it a few times over the years, whenever Ginny had a bad date and came around covered in bruises. Ginny's boyfriends never came around again after Molly "handled" them.

"Go," Molly said again.

"Don't get arrested," Keith said.

"No promises." She kissed him.

Keith led Nicky away. He saw the blood on his brother's hands. "Jeez, Nick..." He mumbled. Then he realized not all of the blood was Brandon's. Nicky had beaten the guy so hard, his own knuckles had bled. They couldn't go after Trixie with Nicky like that. Shaking his head, he led Nicky to his room and cleaned off his hands. He treated the cuts so they would heal and not get infected, then bandaged Nicky's hand.

"You want me to stay with you tonight?" Keith asked. He'd been spending all of his time with Molly, but it appeared his little brother needed him now.

"I'm okay," Nicky said. He sounded calmer now.

"Nick... You could have killed him."

"He could have killed _her._ It was karma."

"She said it was an accident."

"It doesn't matter." Nicky yawned. "I'm exhausted. I need a nap."

"I could stay... Just to make sure you sleep alright," Keith offered.

Nicky smiled slightly. "I'm a big boy now, Keith. You don't need to babysit me. I'm fine."

"If you're sure..."

"I'm sure. Go find Trixie."

Keith nodded. "If you need anything, call me. Try to get some rest."

"I will."

Keith left the room and tried to shift his focus on to finding his cousin.

 _ **NICKY**_

 _Get some rest? No way,_ Nicky thought. That was the _last_ thing he wanted, but he was shaking and the panic was starting to hit again, and he needed to get that under control. He pulled out the Xanax and Adderall. Less than half the pills were left. Nicky started to panic. He was going to run out of medication way before he was supposed to. He took two Xanax and an Adderall and tried to calm his rising panic.

He walked out of the room and headed to where he knew Dr. Cove was working. He waited until he finished talking to someone on the phone, then knocked.

"Nicky," Dr. Cove greeted him. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Nicky lied. Then, he told a _bigger_ lie. "Only, I have a problem. Most of the medication you gave me was in a bag I checked and the airline lost it. I would have come sooner, but, well... With the shooting and all..."

"Of course." Dr. Cove nodded. "These things happen. Keep it in your carry-on next time, okay?" He scribbled on his pad and gave Nicky two new prescriptions.

 _That was easy,_ Nicky thought. He was relieved to know he had a new supply. "Thanks," he said.

"No problem..." He waved Nicky off.

Nicky went to the nearest pharmacy to fill the prescription. He clung to the bottles and told himself everything would be okay.

 _ **MOLLY**_

She'd introduced Brandon to her fork. _Repeatedly._ She wanted to kill him, but she knew that would be too much for Trixie. Instead, she taught him why she scared people so much. Brandon had tried to defend himself and insisted it was all Danny's fault. As he rambled, Molly realized that Danny had stopped when Trixie showed up. And seeing as how he was missing in action, she suspected he'd been the only one whose main concern was making sure Trixie was okay instead of beating up the guy who'd hurt her. That earned him some major brownie points in her book.

She didn't stop until security showed up. She refused to tell them the Orton boys had been involved and took the blame herself. She hoped the Sire would forgive her when she ended up in jail again.

Before the police were called, however, security called Paul. To Molly's shock, in spite of his leave of absence, he came. "Oh, Molly," he said with a sigh.

"Yes, Dickface?" She asked innocently.

"Why?"

"He hurt Trixie. _Physically._ I was angry."

Paul looked pretty angry himself at this news. She explained what she knew. He listened, then made a phone call. Five minutes later, Bryan stood before her.

"Explain?" He asked.

"Your offspring cracked my best friend's head open" Molly said bluntly.

"He did _what?"_

"He hit her. Accidentally or not, he did, and she got hurt."

"Brandon!" Bryan said. "I taught you _better_ than to hit a girl!"

"But Dad, I didn't _mean_ to-" Brandon argued.

"I don't care what you _meant_ to do! There is _no_ excuse for that! I'm disappointed in you. You should be ashamed of yourself."

Molly could tell that stung. _Good,_ she thought.

"I'm sorry, Dad... But Molly tried to kill me!" Brandon argued.

"You're lucky _I_ don't try to kill you for this!" Bryan said firmly.

"I want to press charges-"

"Oh no. There will be _none_ of that! You _hit_ a _girl_! Molly is right to be furious." Bryan pulled Brandon up by his ear like he was eight and dragged him away.

"I think he's grounded," Molly said with a laugh.

"This is bad... We don't tolerate domestic violence in the company," Paul said.

The wheels in Molly's head began turning. "I have an idea for Creative," she said.

"Shane's in charge right now, not me. Talk to him."

"I will." Molly got in touch with Shane and they met up an hour later. After explaining what had happened, Molly listened to Shane's reply.

"Damnit... He's the Golden Child, the promised son of Brie Bella and Bryan Danielson," Shane said. "We can't just fire him..."

"Anger management... In-patient."

"How do you propose we do _that?"_

"Tell him it's that or he gets fired."

Shane paused. "It's unusual behavior for him... The trauma of the shooting may have pushed him over the edge."

"See? In-patient therapy is a good idea."

"How do we explain this without the fans turning on us?"

"Simple." Molly smiled at her plan. "New Legacy is on top of the roster right now. We're undefeated. I want him humiliated, Shane. I want to have him lose and have Keith kick him out because of it."

"Molly, none of you are even back at work except for Lucas and Brandon."

"We'd all go back to help Trixie."

"Tell me more."

"We can have, I don't know... Lucas and Brandon tagging, and have them lose because someone comes out and beats Brandon up. A low-carder. And Keith kicks him out for being beaten by someone so seemingly insignificant... Then we bring that same low-carder into New Legacy to take his place."

"New Legacy is made up of _legacies_ , Molly. We can't let just _anyone_ join."

"Well, he _is_ a legacy, Shane."

"Who is?"

"Danny ."

"Danny who?"

"Huber."

Shane seemed to be trying to figure out who she meant. "Huber... Luke Harper's kid?"

" _Summer Rae's_ kid," Molly corrected him. "Danny never publicly claimed who his parents were on screen. We don't have to bill him as Harper's."

"Molly, Danny Huber was low-carded for a _reason._ He has a major temper problem. He's a public relations nightmare waiting to happen. We can't afford any more bad press."

"He's _different_ with Trixie. He saved her life. _Twice._ And while Brandon the Junior Goat was busy beating the shit out of him and ignoring Trixie's pleas for him to stop, _Danny_ stopped."

"Okay, fine. I can appreciate that, but he can't be in New Legacy."

"He has just as much right to be there as any of us do."

"The fans barely remember his mother... I'm not trying to be unkind, but Summer Rae is irrelevant. Harper is a much bigger name, but we can't use him. Not now. Danny will never get over with fans as a legacy."

"He will if you write him as Trixie's protector. Everyone loves Trix. She's his ticket to getting over."

"Protector? From what?"

"Brandon."

"Kayfabe? Like we work in their issues?" Shane paused, then something seemed to click. "We could do another Tyson Kidd and Nattie angle... He loses, he blames her, he's an ass, it gets physical... She's the company sweetheart, just like Nattie was. It _could_ work... I like it. Talk to the others. If they _all_ agree to come back, we'll make it happen."

Molly smiled. "I knew you'd like my idea. I'll make it happen. We'll all agree... For Trixie." She knew it was true.

 _ **TRIXIE**_

She was dizzy and still bleeding a bit as she collapsed on the outside of the fountain she'd run to. Trixie had always found that fountain soothing, and she desperately needed it now.

She didn't feel any shock when someone sat beside her, and she knew who it was without looking up. "Danny..." she said softly.

Danny tilted her chin up so she was looking at him. He looked at her head and whispered, "God, Trixie..." Then, in one swift motion, he pulled off his t-shirt. Trixie was very confused as she looked at his topless body. Even with a head injury, she took in how muscular Danny was without a shirt on. She also noticed several old scars and a couple of new bruises.

Things began making more sense as he ran the shirt under the fountain water before applying some pressure to her head. It hurt, but she knew it was necessary. The bleeding stopped quickly, and Danny wet the shirt again before wiping away some of the blood on her face.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"You aren't the one who should apologize," Trixie replied. She felt tears in her eyes as she noticed her arm had a hand-shaped bruise forming. "I thought I loved him... I'm an idiot."

"You're _not_ an idiot. You're a girl who happened to fall for a dick. That's not your fault. You can't help who you fall for."

She leaned her head against his bare shoulder. Her stroked her hair. "It's okay," he said gently. She allowed him to comfort her until she felt better.

"Can you take me home?" She asked.

"You should see a doctor first," he replied.

"I'm okay."

"Trixie... Your head was bad. Concussions suck and are dangerous if not taken care of."

She nodded. He was right. "Okay... Stay with me?"

"Sure. I owe you company for a hospital visit anyway."

She felt safer with Danny by her side. The doctors checked her out. After a couple of hours, they decided she had a mild concussion, but nothing serious. They told her to wait twenty-four hours before returning to the ring.

 _Not a problem,_ she thought. She wondered if she'd _ever_ be ready to go back, especially now that her stablemate was her ex-boyfriend.


	29. Chapter 29

**CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE**

 _ **RANDY**_

It didn't really surprise Randy when he opened up the door to his hotel room and Alanna stood on the other side. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes and flung her arms around him.

"I'm okay, Baby," Randy said soothingly. They'd spoken on the phone as she heard about the shooting, but clearly, Alanna had needed to see for herself that he was alright.

"Dad…" She sighed and pulled herself together. That was Alanna. Strong no matter what. "I was so worried."

"I know. It's okay, Alanna."

"Where's Corri?"

"The Bucks took her to breakfast."

"And Keith?"

"Most likely with Molly."

"And my Squish-Face? Is my Squish-Face okay?" She looked like she might cry again.

"Nicky's fine. I mean, as much as he can be."

Alanna looked at him and paused. " _You're_ not," she said after a minute.

"Honey, I'm fine."

"Dad… You're _not_ fine." She touched his arm gently and added, "I _know_ you."

"Alanna-"

"You're holding yourself together and being strong for everyone else because you're _you_ , but on the inside, you're freaking out. Those bags under your eyes tell me you're not sleeping. That means nightmares are keeping you up. And you only have nightmares when you're not okay."

 _When the hell did she grow up so much?_ He wondered in amazement. His little girl had just made it clear she understood the things he kept hidden from her.

"Dad, it's okay to fall apart sometimes."

"I can't afford to right now. Your brothers and Corri need me."

"So be strong for them… And fall apart with me. I'm okay. I wasn't there. You need _someone_ you can lean on."

"Sweetheart, I'm not putting this on you."

"I'm not a little girl anymore, Dad. You don't have to protect me. I can be the strong one for you sometimes. You know why? Because _you_ are the one who taught me how to be strong. I love you, and I'm here for you, and if you need to freak out, then go ahead and freak out. Scream, punch a pillow, RKO that lamp… Do whatever you need to do. It'll be okay."

Randy pulled Alanna into a tight hug. "All I need to do is hug you, Kiddo," he said. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Dad."

He realized then how right she was. He _wasn't_ okay. Staring down the barrel of a gun while the lives of everyone he cared about were in danger had messed with his head. His dreams were filled with flashbacks of the shooting and flashbacks of being a Marine. His mind merged the two together, until he couldn't remember what was real and what wasn't. He could have died. Corri and their boys and Cayla and Trixie and Cody and Ginny and Molly and Dean and Paul and _everyone_ could have died and he couldn't shake the images of Dean bleeding on the ground and Big Show getting shot… Show, who he'd known forever… Show, who was like family… And Josh… Poor Josh. The kid had been so young. He thought his dreams were coming true, and within days, it had turned into a nightmare he'd never wake up from. He hadn't even met the kid, but he was still horrified by how things had ended up for him.

"Dad…" Alanna called gently.

He turned to her and tried to focus on her face. It took him a minute to understand where he was. "Alanna…" He whispered.

"Daddy, it's okay," she said. "You're going to be okay."

"I…" He wanted to tell her he was fine, but he couldn't lie to her, especially not now. He couldn't clear his head. He couldn't get the images out. He was having PTSD attacks worse than he'd had in years and he couldn't focus. He hated that she was seeing him like that.

Alanna sat beside him on the bed. Then, to his surprise, she started to sing softly. _"You tucked me in, turned out the lights. Kept me safe and sound at night. Little girls depend on things like that… Brushed my teeth and combed my hair, had to drive me everywhere. You were always there when I looked back…"_

Randy felt tears in his eyes. That had always been Alanna's favorite song. She used to sing it all the time, and she'd insisted he sing it to her, even though Randy hated to sing. When she'd been in a coma and nearly died, Randy had sung the song to her until she opened her eyes back up. She'd even asked him to sing it again, because she'd been "asleep" for part of it. It held a special meaning to them both. It was a symbol of their bond, and even in this dark place he was falling into, it reached him. He struggled to find his way back to her.

" _You had to do it all alone, make a living, make a home. Must have been as hard as it could be,"_ Alanna continued. _"And when I couldn't sleep at night, scared things wouldn't turn out right, you would hold my hand and sing to me."_ She paused. "Sing with me, Dad," she whispered.

He wanted to. He really did, but he couldn't quite catch his breath enough to try. Alanna continued to sing, _"Caterpillar in the tree, how you wonder who you'll be. Can't go far, but you can always dream. Wish you may and wish you might, don't you worry, hold on tight. I promise you there will come a day, butterfly fly away…"_

Alanna squeezed his hand and said, "Dad... _Sing_ with me."

He took a breath. Finally, he knew where he was. He could focus. He joined his daughter so softly, it was barely audible. Together, they sang, _"Butterfly fly away… Flap your wings now, you can't stay. Take those dreams and make them all come true… Butterfly fly away… We've been waiting for this day all along and knowing just what to do. Butterfly… Butterfly… Butterfly, fly away."_

He finally allowed himself to cry in his daughter's arms, holding her close to him and letting it all out. Alanna just kept humming the song to him until he calmed down. "You'll be okay, Dad," she promised him. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Randy said. It was strange, but he felt better. Somehow, Alanna had worked her magic and he knew he'd be able to get through this… But he needed help.

 _Back to therapy,_ he decided. He'd hated going to therapy, but he knew he couldn't keep trying to get through this without help. He was a survivor and a warrior, but even warriors needed help once in a while. As he hugged Alanna, he vowed to find the strength to ask for the help he needed so he could be there for the people he loved without falling apart himself.

 _ **MOLLY**_

Molly had talked to Trixie that morning, but no one else. She decided to tackle telling Gabe and Ginny about the storyline plans before everyone else. If Ginny was okay with this angle, she knew no one else would be as hard to convince.

"Hey, Gin," she said gently when she spotted her. "How are you holding up?"

"Fantastic…" Ginny said sarcastically. She softened her tone as she added, "How's your father?"

"Better," Molly said.

"I'm glad."

"Ginny, we need to talk… Trixie's in trouble, and she needs our help."

"What kind of help?"

"She broke up with Brandon. He hit her-"

"That asshole did _what?_ I'll kick his ass myself!"

"Supposedly, it was an accident, but I talked to her this morning. He grabbed her arm pretty badly, intentionally, and that left bruises… It was bad. Anyway, we're kicking him out of New Legacy."

"Good. He should be fired."

"I agree, but Shane wants to send him for anger management and therapy instead."

"At least it's something."

"Yeah… Anyway, we're going to work an angle, and I want you involved."

"What is it?"

Molly explained the storyline. Ginny seemed to be interested, but then she dropped Danny's name and Ginny hesitated. "You… you want to bring Danny into New Legacy?"

Molly felt bad. She knew she was asking Ginny to spend all of her time working with the son of the man who'd raped her. Maybe that was unfair to ask of her when the wound was so freshly reopened.

"I know it's a lot to ask," Molly said. "But Danny's not a bad guy, Ginny."

"I… I know," Ginny said, surprising her. "He saved my life, and Trixie's… If he hadn't been there… We'd both be dead."

"I still know this is hard for you."

"It is… But he's not his father. And I'm trying to accept that and stop being so hard on the guy."

"So you're in?"

Ginny hesitated again. "Danny's not the problem… I just don't know if I can handle… I mean… Being in front of a crowd, working again…"

"I know. And if you're not okay, you can just film the one angle and then take time off again."

"They're using metal detectors at every event now… Patting down everyone… Security, administrative staff, wrestlers, fans… It doesn't matter who you are… Because _anyone_ might be the next gun-toting lunatic."

"It's better… Safer."

"It's scary."

"I know.

"But yes… I'll do it. Because it's Trixie… And she'd do it for me."

"She would, you're right. Don't worry, Ginny. We'll all be together. We'll be safe."

"Right…" She didn't sound too certain.

After this victory, Molly decided to tackle Gabe. He was significantly harder to convince. "No way!" Gabe protested. "The guy is an asshole, Molly!"

"He's not that bad," Molly said.

"He tormented Trixie for having two mothers! He told her Sweet Saraya wasn't her real grandmother!"

"I know, and Trixie put him in his place. Remember, he nearly took a dip in the pool that day. It made him respect her, and now he's been being nicer to her. She reached out to him as a friend, and he changed."

"She's too trusting."

"You're right. But this time, she happens to be right, too. Danny saved her life, Gabe. On two occasions. He's been taking care of her. And when I checked on her this morning, she told me he's the one who took care of her last night, too."

"He's Luke Harper's _son,_ Molly! The man who _raped_ at _least_ two people, one of which was a _kid!"_

"I know what his father did. I know he's a piece of shit, okay? But Danny isn't Harper. He's a good guy."

"You want him in New Legacy, around Ginny? She can't handle that, Molly!"

"Ginny agreed."

He shut up briefly. "She did?" He asked.

"Yeah. For Trixie's sake, and because she also knows that Danny isn't his father. It's hard for her, but she's trying."

"I'll do it… For Trixie, and because I don't want Ginny alone around that guy. It could set her off."

"Fine. Thanks, Gabe."

"By the way, pick up your phone once in a while."

"What?"

"The midget calls me every day. She says Dillon's been trying to call you because he heard about your Sire, and you haven't picked up."

Molly felt bad suddenly. She hadn't even considered that her new siblings might be worried about her. "Damn… I should call him back."

"Yeah, you should. Anyway, let me know when and where we're doing this. I'll be there."

"Good." She walked away and sent Dillon a quick text message.

 _Sorry I've been MIA. Been a long week. I'm safe and ok. Sire is recovering. Hope you're ok. Will call soon._

After a minute, she got a response. _Glad you're ok. It's fine, take your time. Hope to talk to you soon._

Satisfied, Molly headed toward her next destination, but someone was already there. She wouldn't have listened to the conversation, but she realized Brandon was in the hallway with Lucas. She ducked behind a wall so she could hear what they were saying.

"Lucas, please give me a chance," Brandon said. "Everyone's turning on me, but you _know_ me. You're the most rational of any of us."

"Tell me what happened, Brandon," Lucas said patiently.

"Danny kissed Trixie. I was upset, and I admit, I went after him. It was pretty violent, and Trixie showed up… She tried to stop me, but I was just so _mad_ … I hit her, by accident, and she hit her head on the wall…" He paused.

"Is she alright?" Lucas asked. He sounded horrified.

"I don't know. She ran off when her cousins showed up and jumped me."

"Well, Brandon, you can't really blame them for that."

"It was _bad,_ Lucas! Nicky beat me senseless."

"No offense, but if you hit Trixie, I think you were already there."

"Lucas… Please, you're the only one who might listen to me."

"I'm willing to listen, Brandon… But I won't tell you it was okay that you hurt her. I understand why Nicky and Keith were so angry."

"I know it's not okay… But this _storyline_ , Lucas! It's ridiculous, and unfair!"

"Brandon… What you did to _Trixie_ was unfair. Think about that."

"But the whole world doesn't need to know about it! I messed up! So what, I never get another chance?"

"You'll get another chance when you prove you deserve it. You need help, Brandon. You're out of control with her."

"It was one time!"

"No. It wasn't." He said this flatly, like he knew something. Molly listened harder.

"What?"

"You grabbed her at Show's funeral. I saw how hard you grabbed her, and I saw the fight."

"I… I just wanted her to listen to me."

"That wasn't the way to get her to do that."

"It's not like I slapped her."

"There are a _lot_ of ways to abuse someone, Brandon-"

"Abuse? Lucas, I'm _not_ abusive!"

"Lately, you have been."

"She _kissed Danny_! What was I _supposed_ to do?"

"Talk to her. Try to work it out. Or let her go. Break up with her. But the answer is _never_ to hurt her, Brandon. A man should never get physical with a girl unless it's scripted for the ring and rehearsed."

"I can't believe this… Even _you_ are turning on me!"

"I'm _not_ turning on you, Brandon. I'm trying to help you understand what you did, so you can try to fix it."

" _She's_ the one who kissed someone else!"

"And _you're_ the one who grabbed her and who hit her and who cracked her head open."

"It was an accident! It's Danny's fault things got this bad! And hers!"

"Brandon… Are you even sorry at all?"

"What? Of _course_ I'm sorry she got hurt… But she was out of control, Lucas."

"No, Brandon. She's _not_ out of control. _You_ are." He paused. "Get your act together and maybe I can help you, but until you realize what you did, there's nothing I can do for you. Take the deal, Brandon. Work the angle, take the suspension, and get help for your anger."

"I… Lucas, don't walk away from me!"

Lucas sighed and walked away, ignoring Brandon as he called after him. Molly revealed herself to him. "Hey," she said.

"You heard that, didn't you?" Lucas asked.

"Kind of, yeah."

Lucas nodded. "I hated walking away from him… I don't like to give up on people, but what else could I do? He won't accept that he did something wrong."

"He's a dick. So I take it you're on board for the storyline?"

"I'm actively working, so yeah. Even if I wasn't, I have no choice, but I think it's a good idea. It might be the only way to protect Trixie, and it might be the only way to help Brandon before this behavior gets worse."

"And are you okay with Danny being brought into New Legacy?"

"I have my issues with Danny, but he's changing. Trixie's bringing out the good in him, I think. And I believe in second chances. If we don't give him a chance, who will?"

She was impressed with how calm he was about all of this. "You're perfect, you know."

"Hardly."

"If you were straight, Lucas, the things I would do to you…"

Lucas actually blushed. Molly laughed. "Come on, let's get out of here," Molly said. She led him down the hall. Lucas suddenly hesitated.

"Danny?" He asked.

Danny was crouched in a corner. He put a finger to his lips and his eyes pled with them to be quiet. Molly was curious what was wrong, but then she heard a voice. "Daniel! Come on, Danny, I _know_ you're here! I just want to talk! Brie called me, and… and I know what happened, Danny!"

It made sense then. Danny was hiding from his mother. Molly might have laughed, but he looked desperate. "Get him out of here," she told Lucas.

Lucas nodded. "Come on," he said, leading Danny away.

Molly peaked out from the corner. "Hey, Danielle," she said.

Danielle looked at her in confusion. "Molly? Have you seen my son?" She asked.

"Yeah, I have… Listen, what's going on?"

"He…" Danielle sighed. "Brie called me and told me Danny and Brandon had a fight… She says Danny hit him… He's a good boy, Molly, _really_ he is… He's just troubled…"

"Dani, relax. First of all, Danny didn't start the fight."

"He… He didn't?"

"Brandon jumped him. Danny was defending himself."

"Are you sure? Danny has a habit of getting into fist fights."

"I'm positive."

"But why would Brandon attack him?"

"Because Danny sort of kissed his girlfriend."

Danielle sighed. "Oh, Danny! Not again…"

"It's Trixie, Dani. Brandon was dating Trixie."

"I… My son kissed Trixie?" She looked shocked. "Sweet little Trixie?"

"Yeah."

"She's not exactly his type…"

"Innocent and virginal? No, she's not. But she's going through a rough time right now, and Danny's been helping her."

"He has?" Again, she seemed stunned at this news.

"He saved her life, Dani. Twice. Once from a crazy fan at the airport who tried to abduct her and then again from the shooter at the party."

"He did?" Danielle looked proud. "Good for him… Trixie's a sweet girl, and I love her mother to death… I don't know where I'd be without Cayla."

"He's been really good to her. And Brandon was jealous, and he attacked Danny… And when Trixie saw the fight, she tried to stop it. Danny stopped right away."

"Wait, really? Are you _sure_? Danny's not the type to stop himself. He gets into a lot of fights."

"He stops for Trixie. He knows random violence upsets her, so he stops himself."

"I wish she'd been around him more when he was a kid!" Danielle shook her head.

"Brandon didn't stop. He kept hitting Danny, so Trixie tried to stop him, and she got hurt. He cracked her head open. So I forked him."

"Molly!"

"What? I like my fork. It does the trick."

"I guess he deserved it… Is Trixie alright?"

"She will be. But this time, Danielle, your son didn't do anything wrong."

That seemed to mean a lot to Danielle. "I should see him-"

"Dani, he's feeling smothered. He probably thinks you're upset with him. I know you were going home. So go home and then call him. You guys can talk then." She paused. "And can you convince him to do something?" She explained her storyline idea to her. "I briefly talked to him yesterday after Shane agreed to it, but Danny only agreed to come out and protect Trixie. He doesn't want to join New Legacy." The conversation had lasted about thirty seconds. Danny was pretty insistent that he didn't belong in New Legacy because he'd never used his family to further his career and he wasn't about to start. He'd only agreed to the initial angle because it meant he could hit Brandon and he wanted to make sure Brandon didn't go too far with Trixie. In spite of this, Molly was telling her fellow stablemates that Danny would be joining New Legacy. She knew it was the right move for him, and she was hoping Danielle would make him understand that, too.

"That's a great opportunity for him!" Danielle said excitedly. "Danny deserves to have a better spot on the roster. I'll talk to him."

"Thanks, Danielle."

"No, Molly. Thank _you_. You're the first person in this company to look out for what's best for my son."

"He's looking out for my best friend. I owe him."

They parted ways after that. Molly headed off to talk to the Ortons about the new direction for New Legacy. She'd already spoken with Trixie. Even though she was afraid to go back to work, she'd agreed to the storyline. Molly hoped Keith and Nicky would be as willing to try.

 _ **TRIXIE**_

It had been two days since she'd broken up with Brandon. Everything was a mess. Her mom had reverted back to not speaking, and she still wouldn't eat anything. Her mum was so focused on her mom that she hadn't even realized that Trixie was injured. That was better. If her mum found out what Brandon had done, she'd kill him.

No one seemed thrilled about working with Danny. They were talking about this when Trixie arrived at the arena. They were holding a special taping, just for this angle. It was a small crowd, but there were still enough people that Trixie felt exposed and terrified.

"He's Luke Harper's son! We can't trust him!" Keith was protesting. "The guy gets into fights everywhere he goes!"

"He's a jerk," Gabe agreed. "It's not safe to have him here."

"This isn't my idea of fun, either," Danny said as he joined them. "I didn't ask to be part of your stupid little legacy club, and I don't _want_ to be."

"You _deserve_ to be," Molly insisted.

"Why? Because his dad's a rapist and his mom's barely a blip on the radar?" Nicky asked.

"Nicky!" Molly scolded him. "That was _really_ out of line!"

"Forget it. I'm out of here," Danny said.

"Knock it off," Ginny said sharply. Everyone looked at her, especially Danny. "Danny is _not_ his father. And if _I_ can say that, none of you… Not a _single_ one of you… has a right to argue." She looked at him. "You're a legacy, Danny. The details don't matter. This business is in your blood. That makes you family. And you saved my life, so the least I can do… The least _any_ of us can do… is give you a chance to prove you're not the guy people assume you are."

No one spoke at first. Finally, Lucas extended his hand to Danny. Trixie watched as Danny stared at it in confusion before shaking it. "Welcome to New Legacy, Danny. You belong here. Don't ever let anyone tell you different," Lucas said.

Danny looked stunned. He didn't reply, but when he noticed Trixie stepping out of the shadows, he smiled. "Hey," he said. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah…" Trixie said. "So, we're doing this, huh?"

"If you're ready to, yes," Danny said.

"I'll never be ready… So I might as well just jump in and get it over with. The hardest step is the first one, right?"

"Right."

"You'll be at ringside, Trixie," Lucas said. "When we lose, Brandon will turn on you… I don't want you to be afraid, okay? I'll be there the _entire_ time. And Danny will run out and stop it, and from there, it will all be over."

"Okay," Trixie said, trying to ignore the knot forming in her stomach.

They headed out shortly after. She forced herself to smile brightly for the crowd. She took a deep breath as Brandon linked his arm through hers. He'd been calling and texting her. She'd turned her phone off and ignored every single message. This was the first contact they'd had since she broke up with him.

"Trix," he whispered. "I'm sorry."

"You don't get to talk to her," Lucas reminded him. "Scripted interaction only."

Brandon stopped trying to say anything after that. They clung to each other like the adorable happy couple they'd once been and the crowd embraced them.

The match itself was uneventful. Lucas and Brandon were wrestling a midcard tag team. Trixie hardly paid attention to the match. She was more focused on watching the crowd and making sure no one was about to try to attack them. She was shaking and forced herself to take several deep breaths to calm down.

The match ended when one of the opponents pinned Brandon. He got back up and immediately turned on Trixie. "You were supposed to help us!" He shouted. "This is _your_ fault!"

 _It's a storyline,_ she reminded herself. _You're both in character. He's not going to hurt you._

"But… But I was just-" Trixie stuttered.

As scripted, Brandon shoved her. It was a little harder than Trixie expected. She hit the ringpost and began shaking harder, but that was okay. She was _supposed_ tolook afraid now. The fans wouldn't realize her fear was genuine.

"You're useless!" Brandon screamed. He was channeling his father when he heel turned on AJ Lee, but that didn't make it any less scary for Trixie. The difference was, Bryan wasn't really angry with April and had no intention on hurting her. Brandon, on the other hand, was furious with her.

"Go easy on her," Lucas said. He'd come closer than he was scripted to. Trixie knew he was worried about her.

"This is her fault!" Brandon shouted. Then he did something that _hadn't_ been scripted. He slapped her across the face.

Trixie was stunned. Her eyes went wide and she froze in place. Not only had he gone off script, but he'd hit her… _Really_ hit her, on purpose this time.

The crowd was stunned. They began booing and chanting "No!" Trixie wondered how they'd react if they realized the hit had been real.

She was terrified, but Lucas quickly jumped down out of the ring. He was about to go off-script and get between them, but Danny ran out. The crowd reacted with confusion. They knew who Danny was, but they didn't understand why he was out there.

Danny ripped Brandon off of Trixie and started throwing punches. Trixie looked away. Lucas pulled her into his arms to comfort her. "Are you okay?" He asked quietly.

Trixie nodded, but she knew he knew she was lying. "I can't believe he hit you… I almost killed him," Lucas said.

"He knew it was his only chance to," Trixie replied quietly. She was crying. She didn't want to cry in front of a live audience, but how could she help it?

Keith's music hit. Danny jumped off of Brandon. He lay on the mat trembling. Danny had clearly beaten him harder than scripted, probably because he'd seen Brandon hit her. She watched as Danny stood his ground and stared Keith down. The other members of New Legacy were right behind him. They marched out arrogantly.

"Get up," Keith said to Brandon.

Brandon forced himself to stand up. Keith glared at him. "You're an embarrassment!" He told him. "You just got your ass kicked by a _nobody!_ "

"I'm sorry, Phoenix," Brandon stuttered, back on script.

"You're out!" Keith said.

"What?"

"We don't lose. You're not _worthy_ of being part of New Legacy! Get out of our ring!"

Brandon tried to protest. That was when Nicky went off script and hit an RKO on him. Trixie's eyes widened as the crowd cheered wildly. She heard Nicky whisper, "If you _ever_ hit my cousin again, you're a dead man."

Keith looked at Nicky with amusement. He shrugged and when Brandon got up, he hit an RKO of his own. The crowd was loving it. The members of New Legacy turned their backs on Brandon as he left the ring. Then, Keith turned to Danny.

"Give me one reason why you should be allowed to stand here with us," Keith said coldly.

"Because _he's_ a legacy, too!" Trixie said, playing her part in spite of how upset she was. She joined them in the ring and said, "He's the son of Summer Rae…"

The crowd seemed stunned to hear this news. It might be available online, but few had actually ever researched Danny. Now they all seemed to get sucked into the storyline. "I'm a legacy, too," Danny said evenly. "And I'm here to protect her from that jerk of a boyfriend you just kicked to the curb."

Keith considered this. "Fine. If you prove yourself worthy, maybe we'll let you join us," he said. "For now, consider yourself on probation. This is your chance."

The audience was eating it up. Everyone headed backstage. Danny held Trixie's arm protectively the entire walk to the back. When they got there, Molly cursed. "Where's that little shit? I'll kill him!" She said.

"Seconded!" Ginny added.

"Thirded and carried!" Keith chimed in.

"I'll help you hide the body," Lucas added.

"We can borrow Triple H's shovel," Gabe added.

"Guys, let it go," Trixie said.

"He hit you! It wasn't scripted, Trix!" Nicky protested.

"I know, but I don't want any more violence going on in my name. This ends now. He's out of New Legacy. He's on his way to getting treatment. That's all that matters."

They all looked like they wanted to protest, but they let it go. Trixie was grateful. She looked at Danny. "Thank you for doing this for me," she said.

"No problem," Danny said. "Are you okay? I saw what that fucker did."

"It's just a slap. I've taken way worse bumps." She managed a small smile. "He hits like a high school mean girl."

Gabe laughed hard at that, and soon, the others joined in. "I'm okay, guys," Trixie told them "Really. Thank you all for being here for me."

"Always, Trixie," Molly said. "We all love you."

"I love you guys, too."

She saw Brandon on the other side of the backstage area. Bryan was looking at him and shaking his head as he yelled at him. Brie tried to calm her husband down, but he wasn't letting her defend Brandon. Trixie thought he might actually snap and hit Brandon, but he held himself together and led Brandon away instead.

 _This may be the last time you ever see him, unless he gets help,_ she thought. Looking back at her friends… her _family_ … she decided that wasn't the worst thing in the world.


	30. Chapter 30

**CHAPTER THIRTY**

 _ **KEITH**_

Molly and Keith had just finished breakfast when someone approached them. He was dressed in a very odd outfit. "Are you Keith Orton?" He asked.

"Um... Yes," Keith said with confusion.

"Yay! Come on, guys!" The man called. Five more men in identical outfits joined him out of nowhere. "Ready? Okay"

Suddenly, all six men started chanting, " _Oh, Keithy, you're so fine! You're so fine, you blow my mind! Hey Keithy... Yeah, yeah, hey Keithy!"_ They were dancing and Keith realized this was an entirely male cheerleading squad.

"What the _fuck?"_ He asked, shaking his head.

Molly was laughing hysterically. "They're pretty good," she teased him. Everyone was staring at them. People were laughing. Some were filming it on their phones.

" _Gabe_ ," Keith realized aloud. "Points for creativity, I'll admit..."

The cheer ended. Keith laughed good-naturedly and said, "Okay, guys, very funny. You can go now."

"No we can't," the leader said. "We were paid for twelve straight hours of service, and we _always_ deliver! We have a reputation to uphold!"

" _Twelve hours?"_ Keith demanded.

"Yes, Sir... We've been instructed to cheer for everything you do!"

" _Everything?"_ Keith shook his head. "Time to walk away," he mumbled.

"Hit it, Boys!" The leader said.

" _Walk this way! Talk this way!"_ They began singing and cheering to Aerosmith.

"I'm screwed, aren't I?" Keith asked Molly.

"Oh yeah. _Totally_ screwed." She laughed as she added, "I'll see you in twelve hours." She kissed him and walked away.

"I'm gonna _kill_ him for this," Keith mumbled.

The leader stopped their cheer and they switched to, "Be. Aggressive! Be-be aggressive!"

He might have just ignored them, but then Dolph Ziggler showed up. "Hey, you know, _I_ used to be a cheeeleader!" He said. Without warning, he joined them in another rendition of _Hey Keithy._

Afterward, Ziggler shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, Keith, but that Gabe kid is a comedic genius! I _had_ to help him out. This one was just _too_ good!"

Keith hated to admit it, but Ziggler was right. He might have met his match. _Revenge is going to be a bitch, Gabe,_ he thought. As the cheerleaders continued cheering for everything he did, he began plotting his next prank.

 _ **CAYLA**_

Her days and nights were an endless blur. Nothing registered as she stared off into space. Sleep brought nightmares, but so did being awake. It was unending.

She heard a voice that briefly caught her attention. "Corri's good today," it said. "She's out with Randy and Alanna. Now it's Cayla's turn."

 _Nick,_ she realized. And if Nick was there, so was Matt. Why were they at her house? They were supposed to be in Japan.

"I told you all every day since you've been here, she doesn't want visitors," Saraya protested.

"But she _needs_ visitors," Matt said, confirming Cayla's assumption that he was there, too.

"Corri is rising above her burdens on her own," a third voice said. "Cayla needs our help to do the same."

Cayla wanted to get up and go to them, but she couldn't remember how to move. It didn't matter. Moments later, they burst into her room. Kenny Omega, the owner of the third voice, scooped her up in his arms.

Cayla stared at him. "Kenny?" She asked. It hurt to speak. How many days had it been?

"Hello, Cayla," he said pleasantly.

"Cay, we're here for you," Nick said urgently. "I know it's bad, but you aren't alone."

"Nick... I..." Cayla shook her head. She couldn't form a sentence. Finally, she said, "It's good to see you guys."

Saraya looked stunned. "We brought hugs... And Kisses!" Matt said. He pulled out a bag of Hershey's Kisses. They were one of Cayla's favorite indulgences.

"I... I can't," she said.

"Cayla Casey, _can't_ is _not_ in your vocabulary!" Matt declared.

"And even if it takes all day, you're going to eat something," Nick added.

The Bucks and Kenny were determined. They sat with her and forced her to keep talking. She didn't say anything about the shooting or how screwed up she was in the head now, but she made small talk and tried to pretend she was alright.

Cayla tried not to eat. She wasn't hungry. Then she saw Nick's eyes pleading with her. She realized Trixie had given her the same look that morning. She was scaring the people she loved. She ate a chocolate Kiss and even tried to eat some salad. She only got down two forkfulls before she couldn't eat anymore.

She was exhausted. All she wanted to do was sleep and it was barely four in the afternoon. Her friends sensed this and apparently decided they'd gotten through to her enough for one day.

"You did good, Cayla," Nick told her. "Baby steps. Keep that up and you'll get better."

She wanted that to be true, but she wasn't sure how it could be. Nothing would _ever_ be okay again.

 _ **DEAN**_

"I'm ready to come back," Dean told Shane.

"Your doctor said-" Shane began.

"Screw that. _Our_ doctors will clear me. I'm fine."

"Dean, the psychological trauma-"

"I'm _fine,"_ Dean repeated. "Have the shrinks evaluate me."

"Dean, we can't just-"

"Shane... I _need_ to go back to work. I'm gonna lose my mind sitting on the sidelines."

"You can be evaluated. If you pass, I will consider letting you come back."

Dean was relieved. "I'm ready when they are."

"Fine." Shane set things up quickly. Dean was physically evaluated right away.

"What's the verdict?" He asked the doctor afterward.

"You are healing well, but I would suggest a reduced level of risky behavior for a bit," the doctor said. _Has he_ met _me?_ Dean wondered. "You need to ease back into it until all of the bruising is gone. Promos only for at least a week, then enhancement matches-"

"They don't need to feed me fucking jobbers," Dean protested. "I wasn't gone that long."

"You need time to adjust. Your body suffered a physical shock. I'm only going to clear you if you do this my way."

Dean grumbled an impolite response. "Fine," he said louder. "If this is my only option, I'll take it."

"You still have to pass a psych eval, Dean," Shane reminded him.

"You _know_ I'm nuts. The unstable thing's not a gimmick," Dean reminded him.

"I don't expect them to claim you're totally sane, but I need to be certain you're not suffering from PTSD."

"I'm not."

"If you are a danger to yourself, you can't come back yet."

"With the shit I've been through in my life, getting shot by this kid is _nothing._ I'm fine."

"Okay. Let's go see Dr. Cove. I told him it was urgent because you want to return to work."

Shane left Dean in Dr. Cove's office. "Dean Ambrose!" The doctor said with a whistle. "Now _you_ are the _last_ person I ever expected to see in my office."

"So just tell Shane I'm fine and we can get this over with," Dean said.

"Oh, no. You're going to talk to me, Dean. It's necessary."

 _He wants to pick apart the resident lunatic,_ he realized. "What do you wanna know, Doc?"

"Tell me how you're coping. You took a bullet for Paul. That was very brave. Were you afraid?"

"I wasn't _anything._ I just _reacted_ , and then I was bleeding and it was like, 'oh, shit, maybe that was a bad idea.' But I'm okay."

"Your daughter saw it happen, correct?"

Dean tensed slightly. "Yeah, the Offspring unfortunately bore witness to me getting shot."

"And how is she holding up?"

"She'll be fine. My offspring's tough."

"I'm sure she is. Tell me, why are you so nonchalant about getting shot?"

"I grew up in a bad neighborhood. It's not the first time I got shot. It's not a big deal to me. The only thing I regret is how much it upset Molly and my friends."

"What was your childhood like, Dean?"

 _Fuck,_ Dean thought. _I walked right into that._ Aloud, he said, "It was Hell. Thankfully, it's in the past."

"Why was it so bad? Is that why you don't go by Jon Good anymore?"

"It's a shitty name. I like Dean more. There are too many Jons in this company."

"But it's the one you were born with, Jon."

"That's _not_ my fucking name."

"But it _is,_ Jon."

"Say that name again and I'll slit your throat with my fucking fork."

"I really think we should explore why this upsets you so much."

"And _I_ really think that _you're_ an asshole. Let's keep our thoughts to ourselves, okay?"

"I apologize if I overstepped, Dean."

"You _did._ "

"Let's talk about your parents."

"Let's talk about _yours."_

"Dean, I need to evaluate you-"

"In the present time. For PTSD from the shooting. Not for anything else, Doc. My past is off-limits, understood? It has nothing to do with my current condition."

"Our pasts make us who we are-"

"I'm a psychopath. You guys know that already. The question is, can I still wrestle?"

"Yes, I believe that you can... But I won't sign off on it until we talk more."

"That's bullshit!"

"You're upset, Dean. I'm just trying to help."

"I'm upset because _you_ upset me! Otherwise, I'm fine."

"Your parents hurt you, didn't they?"

"My father was an asshole. He was barely there, and when he _was_ around, he was a dick. And dear old mom? She was a drug addict. She kept tootsie rolls in her purse. Watch my old CZW promos sometime if you want details."

"Dean-"

"That's all you're getting on this, alright? Public knowledge and that's _it_."

"I need to understand where you're coming from-"

"I'm coming from my hotel room."

"Dean, you're getting upset because you need to talk-"

"No. I _don't._ Not about _this._ Ever."

"Did they hit you? Were they cruel? You must wonder _why_ they never loved you like parents are supposed to-"

"Fuck you! Fuck you and fuck this company if _you're_ the best they have to offer as so-called help! I don't _need_ help!"

He stood up and ignored the doctor as he offered to write him a prescription to help. He ran out of the office not giving a fuck if he was fired. Paul would hire him back whenever he took over again anyway. Who did this fucking Quack think he was?

He kept running with no destination in mind. He just needed to keep moving. He couldn't let the things he kept buried catch him because some douchebag wouldn't shut his fucking mouth.

Without warning, Dean was hit with a memory that somehow caught him even as he ran.

 _"Jon... Jonny, come here," his mother called._

 _He was eight. She smiled at him from the couch. The needle she'd just shot herself up with lay a few feet away. The vomit from her evening of drinking the night before was still in the bucket he'd put beside her. He cleaned it out without her asking. When he went back, he brought her water. He also brought a cup of juice for his little brother, who sat on the floor in soiled clothes._

 _He cleaned his brother up and changed him into something less dirty and put him in his room to play with his toys. Then he took a towel and wiped the sweat off of his mother's forehead. She grabbed his hand as he was about to walk away._

 _"Jonny, come give Mommy a kiss," she said._

 _"I need to clean the dishes," he objected. He needed an excuse to get away from her. He knew that look in her eyes. She was extremely high and this was one of those times when she was lonely, too..._

 _"Such a good boy..." She laughed. "My little man of the house... Come take care of Mommy, my little man..."_

Dean started running again, faster this time. He had to escape. He refused to go back there. That was a _long_ time ago. She was dead and had been for two decades. His little brother hadn't even made it to adulthood, despite Dean's best efforts to protect him. None of this mattered anymore. He _had_ to keep running. That made it easier to tell himself the moisture running down his face was sweat, because Dean Ambrose did _not_ fucking cry...

 _But Jon Good does,_ his mother's voice mocked him.

 _So what?_ Dean thought. _That fucker's dead._

At some point, Molly called after him, "Sire!" When he didn't stop, she fell into step beside him, easily matching his pace. "Sire, what's wrong?" She asked.

"Fucker..." Dean mumbled. "Wouldn't... shut... up..."

"Sire..." Molly jumped in front of him, forcing him to stop running. "Who needs to meet my fork, Sire? I shall handle this for you."

"Company shrink."

"You saw a shrink?"

"I was trying to get cleared to go back to work."

Molly looked worried at his words. "Are you sure you're ready for that?"

"Yeah, but the medical doc says I gotta wait to wrestle, ease back into it."

"That's probably better, Sire... What about the shrink?"

"He's a quack."

"What did he do, Sire?"

"He just... You know I don't like talking about my past, Offspring. It's irrelevant to whether or not I can safely do my job, but he kept pushing..."

"Are you alright, Sire?"

He wanted to tell her he was fine, but that was a lie, and he and Molly had an agreement never to lie to each other, no matter what. "No," he admitted. "To be honest, having him push this hurt more than getting shot did."

Molly hugged him. "I shall fork him with much enthusiasm for this, Sire."

"Not this time, Offspring..."

"He upset you."

"Yeah, but he's not worth your fork."

"But _you_ are. Anyone who upsets my Sire shall be forked! It's one of my Ten Commandments."

"What are the other nine?"

"They all pretty much end with 'or thou shalt be forked!' The details don't matter." She smiled at him and Dean managed to laugh. His offspring never failed to remind him of the good things in the world. She had no idea just how much she'd saved him from himself over the years.

"Molly..." He hugged her tighter.

After a minute, Molly choked out, "Sire... Permission to breathe?".

Dean released his hold. "Sorry, Offspring," he said.

"It's okay," she assured him.

"I love you, Offspring."

"I love you, too, Sire." She paused. "Come on."

"Where?"

"Ice cream. _Duh_." She dragged him to the nearest ice cream place and Dean struggled to push all of the memories aside and live in the moment. He'd learned a long time ago that it was the only way he would ever survive.

 _ **MOLLY**_

After a while, she was certain her Sire would be okay. Only then did Molly leave his side. She'd seen him freak out over the years, but never quite so badly.

"Molly, have you got a second?" Lucas asked. He looked upset.

"For you?" Molly asked. "Yes."

"I'm kind of worried... About Nicky."

"Why?" Molly was immediately concerned.

"He's... _different_ lately. He's really twitchy. I don't think he's sleeping... And he _really_ hurt Brandon. It's not that Brandon didn't deserve it, but it doesn't seem like Nicky to go that far."

"It's not," Molly admitted. "The only other time he did something close to that, he was drunk."

"He's not drinking... At least, I don't think he is. Not after what happened with Corri. He told me that really freaked him out."

"Then what's wrong?"

"I don't know... It could just be stress, but... I'm just worried, you know? He's not okay."

Molly nodded. "I see it, too... I'll see what I can do for him. Thanks, Lucas."

Molly decided to ask her Sire for advice. They quickly agreed the Bucks were not the best option because they might just superkick him until he forgot his name. Corri and Randy were both too stressed out... Molly finally settled on asking Kenny Omega to talk to him. He was outside of the situation, but he was also a familiar face.

Kenny worked quickly, reporting back to her within an hour. "He's not drunk," Kenny said.

"But?" Molly asked.

"But he's not okay, either. Our Young Nicholas has been seeing a therapist."

"He _has?"_ Molly was startled by the news. How had she not noticed Nicky was in such bad shape that he needed professional help?

"He put him on some medication, and it could be that this behavior is a side affect... But I'm not sure."

"Wait, Nicky's on _meds?_ Do you think he's taking them as prescribed?"

" _That_ is an excellent question... It's hard to say, but I _do_ think he needs help. He's... chatty."

"Chatty?"

"Yes, delightfully so. In fact, I could barely keep up with him because he was talking so quickly... But that, I fear, is _not_ the Young Nicholas I remember. He was always a quiet kid."

"You're right... Thanks, Kenny. I'll talk to him and see what's going on."

Molly headed to Nicky's hotel room. He smiled when he saw her and let her inside. "Nicky... Can we talk?" She asked.

"Sure, Mol. What's up?" He asked.

"I heard you've been seeing a doctor... A _shrink_."

Nicky looked embarassed. "So _you_ sent Kenny?"

"I was worried... _Lucas_ was worried."

"He was?" Nicky looked surprised. "Well, I'm fine, Molly. Really."

"You're _twitchy_ , Nicky."

"I... I just can't sleep."

"Nicky, I know you're on meds. Be honest with me. Are you only taking them as prescribed?"

"The Xanax is as needed. My anxiety has been worse since the shooting, logically, so I am taking it a little more often than I expected to... And the Adderall-"

" _Adderall?_ Why the fuck are you on _that?"_

"I was having trouble with my schoolwork. He thinks it's ADHD-"

"Nicky! You do _not_ have ADHD! This guy is a quack!"

"He's a _doctor._ I think he'd know better than we would."

"He's an _idiot!_ You're like the least ADHD person I've ever met! And Adderall is _really_ strong. It's dangerous. In fact, _both_ of those meds are controlled substances. How long did he wait to diagnose you? Ten seconds?"

"About two minutes, actually..." Nicky stared at his shoes.

"See? He's a quack!" Molly sighed. "You need to get off those meds right now, Nicky."

"I _need_ them!"

"No, you _don't._ "

"I can't... The Xanax, Molly... The anxiety is so bad without it that I can't breathe. Please..."

"Okay, I admit you might have anxiety... But the Adderall? It's gotta go."

"I _can't_ sleep!" Nicky stared at her with frantic eyes. "I _need_ it. The Xanax stops the panic, but it makes me tired... And I can't sleep, Molly. I _can't!_ Every time I try, I see people die! I can't... Please... Please don't make me..."

Molly's heart ached. Nicky had never been like this before. "Nicky... You need help... But these pills aren't the answer. Let me talk to Alanna-"

"No! She'll tell my parents. They don't need this. They can't handle this..."

"Okay, then Keith. Let me tell Keith. We can help you through this together."

Reluctantly, Nicky agreed. Molly called Keith and told him to meet her in Nicky's room. When he arrived, she explained what was going on.

"Nick... We're going to stay with you as long as it takes you to kick this out of your system," Keith promised. "Then I'm going to find you a better doctor."

"He's the company doctor," Nicky said. "There's no one else."

"Dr. Quack is the same one who upset the Sire!" Molly realized aloud. "I'm going to Shane. He needs to be fired!" _And forked,_ she added silently.

Nicky grabbed her arm as she stood. "Don't go," he begged. "The panic... It's getting bad again."

Molly stopped in her tracks. "Shane can wait a day. I'm here, Nicky. We _both_ are. We're not going anywhere."

Molly held Nicky as he hyperventilated and cried. Keith took over when, hours later, Nicky began to scream as the withdrawl symptoms hit too hard. Molly cried right along with Nicky as he begged them to give him just _one_ Xanax to make the panic stop.

 _How did this get so bad so fast?_ She wondered in horror. She knew Keith was forcing himself to be strong, but she saw the way this was hurting him, too. He and Nicky were so close and now he had to deny his baby brother the one thing that would make his pain stop. She knew they were doing the right thing, but that didn't make it easier. When Nicky finally collapsed from exhaustion the next morning, Molly and Keith remained curled up on either side of him, both too terrified to leave him.


	31. Chapter 31

**CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE**

 _ **NICKY**_

The first twenty-four hours were hell. He was shaking and couldn't breathe and kept throwing up even after there was nothing left in his system. The dry heaves had been awful. He couldn't eat or even drink, although Keith kept forcing him to try to hold down water. He'd screamed. He'd cried. Then, finally, he'd been too exhausted to fight anymore and had fallen asleep.

He'd woken up two hours later screaming his head off. Molly and Keith had held him until the panic attack passed and his nightmare faded away.

The next twenty-four hours were only slightly better. He was able to eat around the thirty-six hour mark. Keith kept their parents away somehow. When a knock came at the door, he was about to chase whoever it was off, but then Nicky heard the person's voice.

"I just wanted to check on him," Lucas said hesitantly.

"I don't think-" Keith began to protest.

"It's okay," Nicky said. He hadn't said much, so this made Keith and Molly stare at him. "He can come in," Nicky clarified.

Lucas walked over to the bed as Nicky slowly sat up. "Hey, Nicky," he said gently. "How are you feeling?"

"Awful," Nicky admitted.

"Can I help?"

"I don't know..." Nicky was embarrassed Lucas was seeing him like this. He'd managed to wash himself up a bit with Keith's help earlier, but he knew he was pale and sweaty and probably looked like he was dying.

"I know this is hard for you," Lucas said. "Whatever happened, I'm here for you."

"I..." Nicky sighed. "I accidently got addicted to my medications. I didn't mean to, but with the shooting, I just... My anxiety has been so bad..."

"Oh, Nicky..." Lucas reached toward him and touched his shoulder soothingly. "I'm so sorry. When I suggested you get help, I wasn't picturing some drug pusher..."

"It's not your fault. I should have realized-"

"You should have been able to trust your doctor. This isn't _your_ fault, either."

Nicky looked at him and knew his eyes showed how lost he felt. "Really?" He whispered. "It's not?" He hadn't realized that he needed to hear someone say those words until now.

" _Really,"_ Lucas insisted. He took Nicky's hands in his own as Nicky tried to hide the tears desperately trying to fall. "You're not alone, Nicky," he promised. "All of us are here for you."

After that, Lucas joined his round-the-clock team of watchers. Finally, after nearly fifty-three hours of this withdrawal, Nicky felt like a human being again. He wasn't shaking or crying or screaming. He could eat and drink. His companions even had him laughing. He felt better than he had in weeks.

"You guys..." He began. "Thank you. I wouldn't have been able to do that on my own."

"We love you, Nicky," Molly said.

"I love you guys, too... Now go. I'm okay. Really. And you've all earned a break."

"Nick... I could stay-" Keith began.

"I'm okay," Nicky promised. "I'm not high on psych meds, I'm not begging for them or shaking... I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah. Thanks for not telling my parents... They have enough stress to deal with."

"You're an adult," Lucas pointed out.

"Barely," Keith mumbled.

"It still counts," Nicky said.

Molly kissed his forehead. "I love you, Nicky," she told him. He wished she meant it the way he needed her to, but the words comforted him anyway.

 _One day she will,_ he told himself. For now, the fact that she could love him at all given what a mess he currently was meant the world to him.

Keith gave him another hug and whispered in his ear, "Call me if anything happens, Nicky… _Anything._ Okay?"

Nicky nodded. His brother might be a pain in his ass at times, but he'd always been there for him. He'd been there for the scraped knees, the bee stings, the kids dumb enough to try to bully an Orton on the playground, and the childhood nightmares… Now he'd been there while Nicky was strung out on prescription psych meds… Nicky didn't like that the circumstances had become so dark and complicated.

 _How did this happen?_ He wondered. _How did I get here?_ A few months ago, he had been fine… Maybe a little on the emo side, but functional. His life had direction. He had a plan. But all of this? Drinking? Drugs? Doing things his Godfathers might kill him for? That was never part of it.

 _Pull it together, Nicky,_ he thought. _You're not this person. You never have been, and this is not the time to start._ He made up his mind to get over it, even if his brain was telling him it wouldn't be quite that simple.

 _ **DEAN**_

He had spent two days waiting for the other shoe to drop. The fit he'd thrown in Dr. Quack's office was going to get him fired, right? Or at least put on some sort of mental health suspension?

When Shane finally showed up outside of his hotel room, Dean knew it was bad. He'd come in person. McMahons only delivered news in person when it was bad.

"Hi Dean," Shane said. "Is this a bad time?"

Would there _ever_ be a good time to get fired? _You could go back to CZW,_ he told himself. _Go back home. This was_ never _home. You're a lunatic. You belong with the other lunatics. Go back home, see Sami…_

But the Offspring was at WWE now, and he couldn't just leave her. He sighed. "No, it's fine," Dean finally replied. "Come on in."

Shane entered the room. "So, Dr. Cove finally finished his analysis of you," Shane began.

 _Say it. Just_ say _it,_ Dean thought. McMahons _loved_ to say _"You're fired"_ so why was Shane beating around the bush?

"And?" Dean asked.

"He feels it would be a disservice to you if we didn't bring you back immediately."

"Wait… What?" Dean asked.

"You're cleared to wrestle as soon as you're physically able to, and you're good to promo and start building angles immediately."

"I… _passed?"_

"Yeah. The doc says you're remarkably well-adjusted for someone who's been through what you have, and he feels getting back to work is exactly what you need to finish healing."

 _What the fuck just happened?_ Dean wondered. Aloud, he replied, "Great. When do I start?"

"We're staying in Florida for another week… Giving the others a little more time to recover to see if we can get any more roster members to come with us when we leave… We're hoping New Legacy will come with us if we give them a little more time. The angle they filmed went great, and the fans are dying for more…" He smiled. "Your daughter's a genius. She should work for Creative. I _never_ thought Danny Huber could get over, but the fans are definitely paying attention to him now."

"That's my Offspring… So when's the next show?"

"We have a house show tonight, but we tape RAW tomorrow. I'm going to work you into a segment then, if you're okay with it… Keep it quiet. I want it to be a surprise. No one is expecting you back yet, given the fact that everyone knows you got shot. The fans will go crazy when they see you."

Dean was so relieved, he barely knew what to say. He _needed_ this. He had to get back to work. Life needed to be normal again. Well, normal for _him_ , anyway. He nodded and said, "That sounds great, Shane. Let me know what you need out of me and I'll be there."

"Welcome back, Dean," Shane said with a huge smile.

Dean took a deep breath. "Thanks," he said. He was still confused. He'd flipped out on a shrink and had still somehow passed his psychiatric evaluation. _Man, I'm lucky,_ he thought. As his brain began to process that he really _would_ be able to go back to work, he relaxed.

 _ **TRIXIE**_

It had been a long couple of days. She had cried herself to sleep the first night. When she woke up screaming, Saraya crawled into bed with her and held her. She fell back asleep still crying and let her mum think it was just because of the shooting. She'd never lied to her parents, but this wasn't lying… Not exactly.

 _Who are you kidding?_ She thought. She decided she couldn't keep doing this. The next morning, she looked at her mum and decided it was time she knew what had happened.

"Mum… I broke up with Brandon," she said suddenly.

Saraya nearly choked on her coffee. "What?" She asked. "Not that I'm not _thrilled_ to hear the Bellas won't be family, but I'm a bit confused, Luv. I thought you two were so in love you were willing to take on the world to be together."

"I thought so, too… But he's… He's not the guy I thought he was."

"What happened?"

"We were fighting a lot. He didn't understand me anymore… And… And he…" She didn't want to say this part. Her mum was going to kill him if she did, but she couldn't keep it in anymore. "He shook me…"

"He _shook_ you? That bloody bastard! I'll kill 'im!"

"It was getting bad… And he bruised my arms because he held them so tight, and he almost killed Danny and wouldn't stop, and I tried to stop him, and he hit me by accident-"

"That's enough! Where's he now? I'm going to-"

"Mum! Let me finish, okay? Please?"

Saraya softened. "Tell me, Luv. Tell me what he did."

"I hit my head, and he tried to say it was an accident and he was sorry, but he hadn't stopped… Danny stopped. Danny, who's got a terrible temper, was able to stop himself, but Brandon didn't care… And then I broke up with him… And Nicky and Keith beat him up, so I left… Then Molly decided to get him kicked out of New Legacy. We filmed an angle-"

"Hold on! You went back to work? How did I not know about this?"

"For this, yes, I went back. Technically, I'm still taking time off. Anyway, he hit me… It wasn't scripted, but he did, in front of the fans and New Legacy and everyone… And I don't know what to do with that at all."

"You don't do anything. Let Mummy handle this. I can always flee to London after I murder him."

"Mum…"'

"He hurt you! I _knew_ the spawn of a Bella couldn't be trusted!"

"Mum, saying 'I told you so' isn't really helpful right now."

"Right. Sorry, Luv." Saraya hugged her. "I'm proud of you, Trixie."

"For what? Being an idiot?"

"Trixie Jade! Do not _ever_ call yourself an idiot!"

"I thought I was in love with him, Mum! I thought we were going to live happily ever after and become WWE's next sweetheart couple or something!"

"You thought you were going to be the next Bryan and Brie," her mum realized aloud.

"Something similar, yeah. I mean... I just... I've never fallen for anyone that hard before. I've never had a real boyfriend. I just wanted that fairy tale ending so badly... But that's not real life."

"Don't you _dare_ think you'll never find that! There _are_ happy endings. Look at me and your mom. Look at Corri and Randy. Together forever."

"For better or worse, right? Only it's _worse,_ Mum! It's _always_ for worse! That's hardly a fairy tale. You love each other, sure, but... But Mom's staring off into space and not talking or eating, and Aunt Corri's _barely_ hanging on by a thread! Uncle Randy almost got _shot_ and _you_ can't stop blaming yourself for being out of the country when everything fell apart! If _this_ is a fairy tale, it's written by the Grimm Brothers."

"Trixie... Luv..."

"You guys are so messed up that I was able to hide a head injury from you with no real effort. Mom's not even _here,_ Mum! She's a _ghost!_ And nothing we do is helping her. I know the Bucks and Kenny got through to her, but as soon as they left, she fell apart again. She was just putting on an act for them."

"Trix-"

"We're going to lose her! And I feel like you're slipping away with her! And I can't... I _cannot_ lose anyone else, okay?" Trixie was sobbing so hard she could barely breathe.

"Luv, I'm sorry! I'm _so_ sorry you have to deal with all of this... I'm trying, but you're right. It isn't working. I keep hoping if I try a bit harder, she'll snap out of this..." Her mum was crying now, too. "You won't lose me, Luv. I promise. And we won't lose your mom, either. We'll figure this out." She rocked her like she was a little girl, making comforting sounds as she stroked her hair. A month ago, Trixie would have believed her mum could fix everything, but now? She wasn't sure it was possible anymore.

 _ **CORRI**_

Most of the time, Corri could tell herself she was okay. The Bucks, Kenny, and AJ kept her pretty distracted, and coming home every night to her husband took care of the rest, but that didn't mean she wasn't still struggling. She'd begun going to several more meetings of NA and AA than usual, and had even joined a support group for trauma survivors. Little by little, it was helping, but even as she was repeatedly told none of this was her fault, she struggled to believe it.

"Mom, can we talk?" Keith's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Of course, honey. What's up?" She asked.

"I'm just worried... About everyone."

"I know what you mean."

"Dad's shut himself off. He's burying everything. I can tell. And Aunt Cay... Mom, she's a mess. Trixie won't tell me much, but I saw how bad it was at the funeral."

"It was a _funeral,_ honey. She just needs time."

"Is she eating?"

"I... What?" They never discussed Cayla's anorexia so openly. She hadn't had a serious relapse in years. It shocked her that Keith brought it up now because Corri hadn't even been sure he remembered or understood Cayla's last relapse.

"Is she _eating,_ Mom?"

"Keith, she's-"

"I remember what happened to her when I was a kid. Is she eating or not?"

Corri sighed. "I don't think so."

"We have to help her, Mom... Before she gets as bad as she did last time. Please..."

"We're trying."

"Let me see her."

"Keith, she's not up to visitors."

"I'm not a visitor. I'm her _nephew_ , and if we keep letting her hide inside of herself, she might never come back."

"I'll talk to her-"

"No, Mom. It _has_ to be me. Please. She's wasting away in front of me. I can't stand by and do nothing."

Corri saw the desperation in his eyes. "Okay. I'll talk to Saraya and you can see her tomorrow, alright?"

He nodded. Then he looked at her. "And are _you_ okay?"

"I'm... _sober,_ Baby. I'm not exactly okay, but I'm sober. That's what matters right now. I can figure the rest out later."

"I love you, Mom. You know that, right?"

"Of course I do. I love you, too." She studied her son. "What's got you so focused on all of this?"

"Nothing..."

"Keith, something shook you up. What's wrong?"

"It's just been a scary couple of days..."

"How's your brother?" Keith hesitated. Corri knew something was wrong now. "What happened?"

"He's okay now," Keith said quickly. "He just had a rough few days... But he's fine."

"Keith... Tell me the truth. Was he drinking?"

"No. Nicky says he's not going to drink anymore..." He looked at her. "He told me what you did."

Corri was embarrassed. She'd had it together for so long. Her boys had never seen the psychotic mess she'd once been... until now. "I'm sorry about that. It was a terrible reaction, but I kind of snapped..."

"You scared him... But if he stops drinking, that's not a bad thing."

"Did it scare _you?"_

"It would only scare me if you actually drank the shot. You're impulsive and crazy. That's just who you are, and I love that about you. As long as you didn't break your sobriety, it's okay." He looked worried. "Mom, how hard is it for you? Staying sober, I mean. I know addiction can run in families, and we've got it on both sides... I just... If someone took away one method, would you have turned to another?"

"Oh, Keith... I tried them _all,_ believe me. Your dad just got hooked on steroids, and he got his shit together a _lot_ quicker than I did... I drank, I took pills, I even shot myself up... Whatever would fill that emptiness, you know? But addiction... It ran in _my_ family, too. I had no idea, but my father was an addict. We found out when he died."

"You never told me that."

"I don't talk about him. The only thing he ever gave me was a reason to get sober and stay that way so I would _never_ be like him." She shrugged. "You're worried Nicky's going to do more than drink, aren't you?"

"If he did... I mean, what would his chances be if we caught it early and he kicked it?"

"Addiction is a life-long issue, Keith. People can relapse after _decades_ of being sober. That's why we need to make sure Nicky doesn't cross that line. Ever."

"Right," Keith said too quickly.

 _No,_ Corri told herself. _You're being paranoid. Nicky hasn't crossed that line... He can't have..._ She shook her head. Keith was just worried. If this were anything more, he'd tell her. She struggled to convince herself of this as she kept a calm exterior for Keith's sake.

 _ **MOLLY**_

She'd tracked Shane down pretty quickly. "We need to talk," Molly informed him.

"For you, my brilliant friend? Of course," Shane said cheerfully.

"You need to fire Dr. Quack."

Shane looked confused. "Okay, back up. Which doctor is Dr. Quack?"

"The shrink you made the Sire see."

"Is this about Dean?"

"No. It's..." Molly hesitated. "It's about someone else. This quack prescribed two strong controlled substances to someone after he spent ten seconds with him. He's a drug pusher!"

"Who was it?"

"I can't tell you that."

"I need a name, Molly."

"No, you don't... Just look into his prescription history. I guarantee you'll find a pattern."

Shane sighed. "This is a really serious accusation. The press-"

"The press will be worse if one of your wrestlers dies from an overdose of meds _your_ quack prescribed!"

She knew she'd convinced him when she saw his face. "I'll look into it, Molly."

"Thank you." She was relieved. She had promised Nicky she wouldn't tell anyone his secret, but she hadn't been sure if Shane would help without all of the information.

When she left Shane, Molly ran into Joe. She almost didn't see him. "Whoa, Baby Girl," he said. "Slow down... Are you okay?"

"No..." Molly admitted.

"Can I help?"

"Gonna sing me a lullaby?"

"Well, I _could,_ if you need it..."

"No thanks. I don't want to sleep right now."

Joe looked concerned. "What can I do?"

"Distract me?"

"Come on." He took her hand.

"Where are we going?"

"To train. You work things out best physically. Let me help."

Molly wasn't sure she was ready to train, but as soon as they started, they fell into a comforting routine. Joe knew her moves well. He and Colby had both taught her a lot while she was growing up, and they fell into an easy rhythm. Soon, Molly forgot everything else except what they were doing in the ring. For the first time in days, she was focused and calm.

At some point, Colby found them. He easily fell into routine with them, not stopping to ask any questions. Both of them knew Molly well enough to know that talking wouldn't help her right now.

Colby swept her legs out as Molly went for Dirty Deeds on Joe. She hit the mat hard and it felt good. She laughed as Colby jumped off of a nearby table onto her. Suddenly, she couldn't _stop_ laughing.

"Molly?" Joe asked. "Are you okay?"

Molly was laughing too hard to reply, but when Joe came to check on her physically, she grabbed him by his legs and pulled him down. He hadn't expected this and he landed on Colby.

"Ouch!" Colby cried out, knocking him off of himself.

Molly laughed harder. Soon, Colby cracked up, too. Finally, Joe joined in the laughter. Molly looked at them and suddenly said, "The Sire got shot." She laughed again. "And Dickface thinks giving him the title is a proper way to thank him!"

"Well, he's not me or Joe," Colby pointed out. "Dean doesn't get the title as much... The asshole probably did it on purpose!" He was still laughing, too.

"Oh, _totally._ He knew Dickface would piss someone off eventually and was just biding his time until somebody pulled a gun."

"He should have called in one of his CZW buddies. I bet some of them have guns," Joe added. "He could have made this happen so much sooner."

"He should have done it when you or I had the title... Feuding without breaking us up again," Colby added.

"Or he could have saved him from me," Molly said. "Assault with a deadly fork!"

Together they laughed. After a while, Molly turned serious and quietly said, "The Sire got shot..."

"Yeah," Colby added.

"But he made it," Joe reminded them.

"He made it," Molly echoed. She snuggled between her father's brothers and knew that they, more than anyone else, understood how she'd felt in that moment. Finally, she felt like it was safe to process what she'd seen. Once she did that, she knew she'd be okay.


	32. Chapter 32

**CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO**

 _ **SARAYA**_

Cayla was staring off into space again. "Cayla?" Saraya called. "Luv, please answer me."

Cayla looked at her in confusion for a moment. "Sorry," she said softly. Saraya was just relieved to get an answer.

"I made breakfast... Strawberry-banana pancakes..."

"I'm not hungry."

"Cayla..."

"You and Trixie should eat."

"Cayla, they're your _favorite._ Just one bite? Please?"

"Thank you, but I'm not hungry."

The responses were automatic. They held no emotion. Saraya wasn't even sure Cayla was registering what she was saying. She wrapped her arms around her and said, "Luv, _please._ You _have_ to eat!"

"Later... I'll eat later."

"Your old anorexic tricks don't work on me, remember?" Saraya snapped. "Just stop this! You can't keep going on like this, Cayla. You're going to _die!_ This has gone on too long now! Do you understand?" She was yelling now.

Cayla looked at her with tears in her eyes. "I _can't,_ Saraya," she whispered. She was sobbing harder now.

"Shit... Cay, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you... Please don't cry..."

Cayla couldn't stop crying. Saraya held her and tried to comfort her while feeling like an asshole. She never lost patience with Cayla like this, but she felt so helpless... _And yelling at her will help_ so _much,_ Saraya thought sarcastically. How could she have been so bloody stupid? Her wife was fragile and about to go beyond the point of no return and she thought bullying her was the answer?

"I'm sorry," Cayla whispered. Then she stopped speaking all together and Saraya was left with only the sound of her wife's sobs.

It was a relief when her phone rang. She hated that she felt that way, but sitting there unable to help the woman she loved was killing her. She looked at the caller ID and saw it was Keith, so she stepped out of the room.

"Hullo, Keith," Saraya answered. "What's up?"

"Hi, Aunt Saraya... Did Mom call you?" Keith asked.

"She did," Saraya confirmed, "but I don't think today will work. It's... She's having a bad day."

"They're _all_ bad right now. Let me see her, Saraya. She needs me."

"Keith, she can't even tolerate _me_ right now, and even Trixie's barely getting anything out of her."

"Trust me. I can help. _Please._ If it doesn't work, I'll leave, but at least let me _try."_

Saraya sighed. What harm could it do at this point? "Okay. Come over later. She's exhausted. I want her to get some rest first."

"I'll come by around six."

"Alright." Saraya hung up and prayed this wouldn't be a waste of time.

 _ **NICKY**_

He woke up feeling on top of the world. He had more energy than he'd had in weeks. Nicky, being Nicky, used his excess energy to catch up on his schoolwork. He sat down to write a term paper that was due in two days, then wrote four more that weren't due for a while yet. He even came up with an extra credit project for his literature class.

The euphoria Nicky felt was odd. On some level, he recognized that, but he was just so thrilled to be free from his burdens. He focused on being productive. He still had energy to spare, so he worked out for three hours straight before Lucas caught up with him. He spent another hour working out, now with Lucas, and then Lucas suggested they get something to eat.

Everything went by in a beautiful blur. Nicky felt alive again. He chatted with Lucas over dinner. "You're hardly talking," Nicky noticed aloud.

"I can't get a word in," Lucas said with a laugh. "You're talking a hundred miles a minute, Nicky."

"Am I? I'm sorry. That's so unlike me... I just feel _good,_ you know? _Really_ good."

"It's nice to see you doing better," Lucas said.

"Thanks... So, anyway..." Nicky began rambling again. He couldn't seem to stop. He was just so happy to be feeling something other than anxious and depressed. After dinner, he convinced Lucas to give him another dance lesson.

 _Keep this up and she'll be yours in no time,_ he thought. Suddenly, he was absolutely certain of that.

 _ **TRIXIE**_

She couldn't stand being home and watching her mom so far out of her reach anymore, so Trixie decided to spend the day out by herself. It was easier that way. She didn't have to live up to what everyone expected then.

She was wandering her favorite park. Trixie had grown up here. She knew every path by heart. She'd wandered them a lot over the years because she loved being surrounded by nature. Unfortunately, she didn't notice there were new cracks along the way, so her ankle twisted the wrong way. She was going down, but someone steadied her arm before she could fall.

" _Seriously?"_ Danny teased her. "I can't leave you alone for _ten seconds,_ can I?"

Trixie was only partially surprised to see him. "Stalker," she said with a laugh. "Thank you."

Danny let her go. Trixie tried to take a step and winced slightly. Danny turned serious. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"It's just a slight sprain. Trust me, I've had plenty. It'll be fine in a day or two."

"You need to rest it."

"Danny, I'm _fine,"_ Trixie insisted. "What are you doing here?"

"Walking. It's a _park_. That's what people _do_."

"And you just _happened_ to be right behind me?"

"I _may_ have noticed you walking by... And I couldn't very well risk you being mauled by a band of angry squirrels, could I?"

"Jerk," she said, but she was laughing.

"I _told_ you that, remember? See, I'm not sweet."

"You _are_ sweet. You're just sarcastic, too."

"I'm a New Yorker. Sarcasm is my native tongue."

Trixie started to walk again. Danny stayed close to her. She was comforted by his company, even if she couldn't understand why that was. She still didn't know what her feelings for Danny were, but she liked having him around.

Another dip in the path caused Trixie to stumble. Danny grabbed her and swooped her up in his arms so quickly, she barely registered he'd moved.

"No more walking," Danny said firmly.

"Danny-" Trixie started to protest.

"No. Your ankle was already hurt and you just hurt it _worse_. You're going to _break_ it next. I'm not putting you down until we see a bench."

"We're deep off the main path. There aren't any benches for a while. You can't carry me all that way."

"Says who? You need to be wrapped in about fifteen rolls of bubble wrap for your own protection from Severe Spaz Syndrome. Since I don't have any on hand, I'm carrying you. End of story."

"Danny, I am perfectly capable of walking."

"My eyes have shown me otherwise today. Now stop complaining. Most girls would _love_ a big, strong guy carrying them around."

"I'm not most girls," Trixie said, although she had to admit it was kind of awesome that Danny had _literally_ swept her off her feet.

"No," Danny said with a smile. "You're definitely not."

Trixie wondered what he meant by that. "So put me down please?"

"Not a chance. Enjoy the ride." He began walking, easily carrying her through the park. Trixie realized it was pointless to protest, especially since her ankle was still throbbing and walking would hurt. She finally rested her head on his shoulder as they moved toward the main path. By the time they found a bench and Danny gently set her down, she didn't want him to. He sat beside her and she put her head back on his shoulder.

"Feeling better?" He asked.

"Much," Trixie replied. She could feel her exhaustion hitting as she got more comfortable. She closed her eyes for just a second.

The next thing she knew, the sun was starting to set. "I... Wait, what happened?" She asked.

"You fell asleep on me," Danny said. He looked at her and added, "You looked like you needed it, so I decided not to wake you."

"But the sun's setting... I must have slept for two hours!"

"Nearly three, actually. It's okay."

"But... I didn't..." Trixie was stunned and not sure what to say.

"Didn't what?"

"Didn't have any nightmares... Danny, I didn't have any nightmares!"

"So that's why you haven't been sleeping?" Danny looked concerned.

"It's no big deal," Trixie said, suddenly embarrassed.

"Yes it is. It's a _huge_ deal. I have nightmare issues, too, sometimes. They're no joke."

"I haven't slept without a nightmare at all since... Since..."

"Since the shooting. It's normal. Your mind is trying to process the unprocessable."

"But now... Today... With you... I didn't have even _one._ It's the first time I've had any real rest."

"I'm glad, Trixie." He looked at her. "Do you want to head home?"

"Not yet... Maybe we can finish watching the sunset first? It's so beautiful..." She shook her head. "I'm such a dork. You've already been stuck here with nothing to do for so long-"

"It's okay," Danny said quickly. "I don't mind. You _need_ some beauty in your life right now... We _both_ do." He was looking at her as he said it, not the sunset, and Trixie was fairly certain he was talking about her, too. Then again, what did _she_ know about guys? She'd been wrong about Brandon...

 _There's no room for his ugliness in this beautiful place,_ Trixie scolded herself. She decided to push Brandon right out of her mind. As she watched the sunset, she felt Danny's eyes on her more often than not. She decided that she didn't mind.

 _ **KEITH**_

He had gone over to Cayla, Saraya, and Trixie's house promptly at six. He had an entire care basket filled with a teddy bear, the scented bath products Cayla loved the most, and a _lot_ of chocolate. Now Keith looked at Saraya and knew it was as bad as he'd guessed. She was even paler than usual and her eyes were puffy and red.

"You're so sweet to do this for her," Saraya said.

"If this stuff doesn't get through to her, nothing will," Keith said. With that, he walked into the bedroom. Cayla was staring at the wall and was still in her pajamas. Keith took a deep breath and said, "Aunt Cay?"

Cayla looked up. Surprise flashed in her eyes. "Keith," she said. "What are you doing here, honey?"

"I came to see you," Keith explained. He presented her with the basket.

Cayla actually smiled sadly. "What's all this?" She asked.

"Just some things I thought might make you feel a little better."

"Keith, you didn't have to do this!" She unwrapped the basket and immediately went for the teddy bear, hugging it to her chest. "Thank you."

Keith smiled. His aunt was a sucker for stuffed animals. "You're welcome. The bath stuff is top of the line."

Cayla picked up a bottle of shampoo and popped the cap open. She inhaled deeply. "Yes, it is... Honey, this is too much-"

"No, it's not. You're worth every penny. And the chocolate is top of the line, too."

Cayla forced her smile now. "You're such a sweetheart." She stood up and walked toward him to hug him, but she stumbled. He could see how dizzy she was as he steadied her.

"Aunt Cay... Eat some chocolate."

"I'm not hungry right now, honey."

"Yes you _are._ Please don't lie to me..."

She sat back down with his help. Then she sighed. "I just can't eat right now, Keith."

"Yes you can. Come on. You _love_ chocolate."

"I... I'm not hungry," she said again.

"Aunt Cayla, you _promised!"_ Keith cried out. His desperation seeped into his voice as he quietly added, "You promised me you'd never do this again."

"Keith, I..." Cayla started to cry. "I'm sorry..."

"Do you think Show would _want_ this?" Keith asked.

Cayla shrank at the mention of Show. Keith knew she was ready to listen, even if what he had to say would hurt her. He hated hurting her, but she needed help. He kept his tone gentle but urgent as he continued. "Show _died_ to save your life, Aunt Cay. He died so you _wouldn't,_ and you're throwing that away."

Cayla looked like he'd slapped her. He thought he was being too harsh, but then, very softly, she said, "You're right... But I don't know how to stop... I can't eat. I panic if I try."

"You've beaten this before. You can beat it again."

"I just..." Cayla started to cry harder. "I feel like _I_ should have died. I know it's stupid, but he wasmy _family,_ and this is my fault... I knew Jordy was unstable, but I let him leave!"

"This is _not_ your fault, just like it's not my mom's, or Paul's. You guys could _not_ have known he'd show up with a gun. And you saved people, Aunt Cay. I heard about how you saved Nikki, who you don't even _like,_ and you saved a bunch of others because you talked the gun out of his hand. No one else could have done that."

Cayla shook her head. "People died, Keith... _Show_ died..."

"I know. But you didn't. Don't let that be for nothing... Let people help you... Let _me_ help you. Keep your promise to me, Aunt Cay. Get well."

Cayla looked at him and he was startled at how lost she looked. "Okay," she said softly as she clutched the teddy bear again.

"Okay?" Keith asked.

"Okay. I... I'll get help."

"Really?"

"Really. I'll call Paul. He has resources that have helped me before... I can't do this alone."

"You're not alone. Not even slightly. You have all of us."

She offered him another sad smile. "I know... And that's why I have to get better. For Saraya, and Trixie, and your parents, and to keep my promise to you... And for... for Show. I owe him that."

Keith wrapped her in a hug. "Thank you," he whispered, trying to hide his own tears of relief.

"No. Thank _you._ For reminding me why I need to fight this."

"I love you, Aunt Cay."

She hugged him tighter and said, "I love you, too, Keith."

They sat like that in silence for a few minutes before Cayla asked for her cell phone. Keith watched as she took a deep breath and dialed a number. After a minute, she said, "Paul, it's me... I need you to set up treatment for me... In-patient."

Keith could see how hard it was for her to say the words. He squeezed her hand supportively. When she finally hung up, he said, "I'm proud of you, Aunt Cay... And Show would be, too."

He didn't know what would happen next, but he hoped his aunt would find the strength to get well like she had before. Whatever happened, she'd taken the first step, and right now, that was what mattered the most.


	33. Chapter 33

**CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE**

 _ **CAYLA**_

It was hard to believe she was doing this, but she knew she had to. She had told Saraya right after Keith left the night before, and her wife had cried with relief. Seeing how terrified Saraya had been, Cayla knew she was doing the right thing. That didn't make it any easier.

"Mom…" Trixie called.

Cayla snapped back to the present. "Yes, Baby?" She asked her.

"Are you okay?"

Cayla managed a brave smile for her daughter. "Not yet," she admitted. "But I will be, Trixie. I'm going to work until I get there."

"Are you scared?"

Cayla was surprised by the question. "A little bit… But I've been here before, Trixie. I can get better. It's not going to be easy, but it's possible."

"I love you, Mom… I've been really worried."

"I know. I'm so sorry I scared you, Baby. I love you so much, and I wanted to be strong for you, but…"

"It's okay," Trixie said quickly. "You _are_ strong, Mom. You're the strongest person I know, and you're doing the right thing now." She hugged her.

Cayla didn't want to let her daughter go. It took her a minute to release her. She took a deep breath and brushed her tears away quickly before Trixie could see them. "Do you have questions?"

"How long will you be gone?"

"I don't know, Baby… However long it takes. If it's just a small relapse, I could get better with out-patient treatment or a week or so in the hospital, just to get my body to a point where I can handle the food intake I need. This is harder… I didn't relapse because of a small stressor. I need support and… And I need help getting past what happened. That requires more work. I'm ready to stay in treatment until I'm _really_ okay, and I… I can't even imagine being okay right now, so that may take a really long time."

"Can I see you? While you're in treatment?"

"Yes. There are visiting hours, and we can call each other. It's not prison, Trixie. It's a good place… The last time I was there, you were really little, so I asked your Mum not to bring you. I was afraid it would scare you to see me like that… But you're an adult now, and if you want to come see me… I'd like that."

"I'll be there every chance I get. I promise." Trixie paused as tears formed in her eyes. "I haven't ever been away from you like this before… Not since I was old enough to remember, anyway."

"Don't worry, Luv," Saraya said as she joined them. "While I was away, your Mom took care of you… Now it's my turn to be the only parent in the picture for a bit."

"Mum, you have to go back to work-" Trixie objected.

"No, actually, I _don't_. I took time off."

"Saraya, you didn't have to do that," Cayla said. This was news to her.

"I'm an adult. I don't need you here around the clock," Trixie added.

"My family is in crisis. You've both been through hell. I was on the other side of the world when everything fell apart, and I'm not letting that happen again. Right now, I need to be with my family," Saraya said firmly.

Cayla might have protested, but honestly, she felt better knowing Saraya would be close. It meant she would get to see her while she was recovering, and that would help. "I love you both… I'm sorry I'm such a mess right now," she said.

"You have _nothing_ to apologize for, Luv," Saraya said. "Are you ready to go?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," Cayla said.

"Can I go with you to drop you off?" Trixie asked.

"If you want to, of course you can, Baby…" Cayla took Trixie's hands in her own and said, "I love you. I _will_ get better. I promise."

Together, they got in the car. Cayla tried to tell herself it was no big deal, but she was nervous. She hadn't been in treatment for so long. Paul had hooked her up with the best possible center, the same one that had saved her life the last time she'd had a serious relapse, but it didn't mean it wasn't slightly overwhelming to realize she was going back. Sure, they were nice people who ran a great program, but she hated that she had hit a point where she needed to go back there.

Corri met them at the center. "Corr? What are you doing here?" Cayla asked. She'd called her the night before and told her she was going in-patient, but she hadn't expected her to show up.

"Did you think I'd let you do this alone? I'm here for moral support. I'll stay with you until you're ready for me to leave," Corri said.

She hadn't realized she needed her twin until that moment. Cayla leaned on Corri. "Thank you," she said.

"I'm here for you, Cay. _Always._ You're a twin. You're never alone."

After that, Cayla relaxed slightly. As scary as it was to be getting treated again, she knew she could get through it. She had the best support system in the world. When the paperwork was filled out and she was led to her room, her family stayed by her side as she settled in. The doctors hooked her up to an IV filled with fluids because she was both dehydrated and malnourished. They set up a heart monitor to keep an eye on her vitals because her heartrate was not where it should be either. She was used to these things, but it was still a little unnerving to have to be hooked up to them again.

"It's time to go," Cayla said softly after a while.

"Mom…" Trixie whispered. She was trying to hide her tears.

"I'll be okay, Baby," Cayla promised as she hugged her daughter.

"I love you…"

"I love you, too… I love _all_ of you."

"I'll be back tomorrow afternoon, Luv," Saraya promised.

"Okay…" Cayla kissed her goodbye.

"Are you sure you're good?" Corri asked.

"I'm sure," Cayla promised her.

"Okay. I'll see you soon. Call me if you need anything."

"You'll know anyway," Cayla said with a small smile. "Twin Telepathy."

"Damn right. So don't try to lie to me." Corri hugged her.

The three of them left and Cayla tried to stay calm, but she hated being alone. That made reality sink in. This was it. She was in treatment and she was stuck there until she got better. She made up her mind that she'd do whatever it took to get there as quickly as possible.

 _ **RANDY**_

Randy had a lot on his mind. Nicky had shut him and Corri out. Keith promised he was helping him through whatever was going on, but it scared him to know Nicky was keeping things from them. Keith seemed to be doing alright, but the kid had just run a one-man intervention on Cayla and Randy knew it had taken a lot out of him emotionally. At least Cayla had agreed to get help. That was a major step for her. He knew Corri was still struggling, but at least she had support from her Bullet Club friends. That seemed to help a lot. Now it was time for him to help _himself_ for once. He pulled out his phone and opened up the app which would connect him to someone he hadn't spoken to in years.

"Randy," Dr. Mueller said as his face appeared on the screen. "It's good to see you."

"Nice to see you, too, Doc," Randy said.

"You didn't say much when you called to set up this appointment. To what do I owe the honor?"

"I assume you heard about the shooting."

"I did, yes."

"It brought up a lot of issues for me. My mind is playing tricks on me and I'm having nightmares again."

"Are they about your father?"

"No, I resolved that issue."

"What happened?"

"I was dreaming about him again… Like he was still alive and coming to get me. An issue came up recently. My Goddaughter confided in me that someone raped her when she was young, and it brought everything back for me. So I flew home and I went to his grave. That reminded me he's really dead, and after that, the nightmares stopped."

"That was a very wise choice for you, Randy. You knew you needed confirmation, and you took care of yourself. I'm impressed. Not so long ago, you would have buried your feelings until you exploded."

"The shooting brought up memories from when I was a Marine. They're pretty bad. It was a scary time for me. I was a stupid kid who pretty much only enlisted so I could escape my bastard of a father, and people were getting shot at around me. It messed me up in the head, but for the most part, I let it go. I'm usually okay, but I had to channel that training when the shooter showed up. My family's lives were on the line. My friends were in danger. I was the only one in that room who could keep a clear head and turn everything off, so I did. But after, when everything was calm, I guess it hit me…"

"Tell me about the nightmares."

"It jumps around in time, between the shooting and the Marines… And then it merges the two. People who are in WWE pop up in Marine flashbacks, and they die… They _always_ die. It's usually my wife."

"That must be terrifying for you. How _is_ Corri?"

"She's tough. She's surviving."

"You know, your face still lights up when you talk about her." Dr. Mueller smiled. "So, tell me more. What made you call me?"

"Alanna called me on the fact that I'm not okay. I realized it's bad if she can tell."

"Well, you made a good decision. I'm glad you called, Randy. You've been through a lot, but you're going to be fine. You can get through this. It's a privilege to work with you again."

Randy laughed. "It's weird to hear that, but I guess I'm glad you don't mind helping me out."

"You were an ideal patient years ago, and I'm always here to help."

"So, where do we start?" Randy began to relax. He had liked Dr. Mueller even if he'd hated therapy. That was why he was relieved he was willing to do video chat sessions so they could talk no matter where in the world Randy was. It helped being able to see someone consistently without them being a WWE doctor. He felt confident he'd be feeling more like himself soon.

 _ **NICKY**_

He hadn't slept because he wasn't tired. Nicky felt like he could do anything and was trying to do as much as possible since he suddenly had so much energy. That had lasted until about one in the afternoon. All of a sudden, like someone flipped a switch, he crashed.

He had no energy. He had no desire to do anything. Even the idea of sleeping was too much for him. He tried to take a nap, but his thoughts wouldn't turn off.

 _You're useless,_ he thought. _You can't even be happy for more than a day. Everyone has to take care of you because you're a basket case. Everyone knows… Keith, Molly, Lucas… They all saw what a mess you are. They think you're pathetic. You_ are _pathetic._

He couldn't stop these thoughts from consuming him. What had happened? He'd been so happy just a few hours before, but now, he couldn't imagine ever being happy again.

 _They'd all be so much better off without you. You should just do them a favor and give up,_ he thought. _Just end it so no one has to deal with your pathetic ass ever again…_

He was exhausted. He wanted to sleep so badly, but sleep refused to come. He tried to work on some of the reading for his history class, but he couldn't focus. Nothing was holding his attention except the repetitive thoughts about how much everything in his life sucked. Everything hurt. _Everything._ Nothing was bringing relief. He couldn't even fake it. He was drowning. He desperately wanted it to end.

He'd felt happiness. He'd been up for once in his life, and now… Now, there was nothing but darkness and pain. His chest hurt. The anxiety attack that hit was the worst he'd had yet. He started sobbing and curled up in a ball, trying to comfort himself by rocking, but no comfort came. He couldn't breathe. He didn't _want_ to breathe. He couldn't keep doing this.

Crying softly, Nicky made a decision. _Everyone will be better off,_ he told himself. No one would miss him. He was insignificant, the Spare Orton. He'd be doing them all a favor.

He closed his eyes and forced himself to take as deep a breath as he could with his chest so tight. Then he began to look around the room for a way to make all of this stop.

 _ **TRIXIE**_

Leaving her mother had been hard, so Trixie decided she needed to get out of the house for a while. It was too empty without Cayla there. She went for a walk and ended up heading toward the hotel where her cousins were staying.

She spotted Danny outside of his room. "Danny!" She called.

He looked surprised to see her. _Now he knows how_ I _feel,_ she thought with a laugh. "What's up?" He asked her.

"I was just in the area…"

"Is everything okay? You look a little shaky."

"My mom's in a treatment center… She's doing in-patient treatment trying to get better."

"That sucks, but it's good news, Trixie. The most important thing is realizing you need help. She got there, and now she's with people who can help her get better."

"It's scary… I'm so worried about her."

"I know… Believe me, I get it. My mom… Well, I told you how often she had to be put in-patient for her issues. But she got better, Trixie. Your mom will, too."

"Thanks for always being here for me lately," Trixie said suddenly. "It means a lot."

"No big deal," Danny said with a shrug. "You're not the worst company in the world."

"I'm going to see my cousins. Want to come with me?"

"I think I'll pass. They're not my biggest fans."

"Well that needs to change. Come on. I want to check on Nicky. You guys have a lot to work out."

"You're not going away until I agree, are you?"

"Nope!" She said cheerfully.

"Fine. Let's go. But if he throws a punch, I'm out."

"He won't." Trixie led the way to Nicky's room. She knocked on the door and realized it wasn't fully closed, so she pushed it open. "Nicky?" She called. She didn't see him in the room, but the bathroom door was almost fully closed.

Trixie walked toward the bathroom with Danny right behind her. "Nicky, are you okay?" She called. There was still no answer. Trixie slowly pushed the bathroom door open the rest of the way. Then she began to scream.


	34. Chapter 34

**CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR**

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ _I've decided the direction this fic has taken requires me to add Danny's point of view, especially for this chapter. With that said…_

 _ **DANNY**_

Trixie's scream sent him immediately into action. He looked over her shoulder to see why she was screaming and saw what she'd seen… Nicky was lying on the floor in a pool of blood with both of his wrists slashed open.

Danny reacted quickly. "Trixie, move," he said. She didn't move, but continued staring at her cousin in shock. "Trix! You _need_ to move."

Trixie was shaking violently. Danny gently moved her out of the way. He knelt beside Nicky and checked for a pulse. "Call 911!" He told Trixie.

She stared at him, not understanding. "He's _alive,_ Trixie! Call an ambulance," he said.

"He… He's alive?" She asked.

"Yes, but he won't be for long if we don't help him. Call 911 _now_."

Trixie seemed to register his words finally and pulled out her cell phone. Danny grabbed towels and wrapped them around Nicky's wrists as tight as he could. He needed to stop the bleeding or Nicky wouldn't last long enough for help to arrive.

Trixie was sobbing into the phone. "I need an ambulance," she said through her tears. "My cousin's losing blood… He… He tried to… His wrists. They're cut."

After a minute, she stood over Danny. "Trix, you should wait outside," he said. "You shouldn't have to see him like this."

"I'm not going anywhere," Trixie said. "How c-can I help?"

Danny shifted so she could kneel beside him. "Put pressure on that wrist. I've got this one. Press hard, okay? Don't be afraid to hurt him. We have to stop the bleeding."

Trixie did as he said. She was trembling badly, but she kept steady pressure on Nicky's wrist. "He'll be okay, right?" She asked Danny. "He… He _has_ to be."

"I hope so," Danny said. He should have lied to her. Someone else would have lied to her. Any decent human being would have told her everything would be perfectly fine just so she'd feel better, but he couldn't bring himself to lie to her.

When the ambulance finally arrived, Trixie refused to move at first. "He needs me to keep the pressure on his wrist," she insisted, still partially in shock.

"Trix, it's okay now," Danny said gently. "These people are here to help. They can save him, but only if you let him go."

Trixie was crying as she allowed Danny to help her stand up. He pulled her into his arms and held her, hiding her face in his chest so she wouldn't have to watch the EMTs attempt to save Nicky's life.

"I… I need to… to call K-Keith…" Trixie stuttered out.

"Okay," Danny said.

Trixie pulled out her phone, still clinging to Danny, and dialed a number. "Keith…" Trixie said through her tears. "Y-you need t-to… To come to Nicky's room… Please…"

Keith was replying, but Trixie didn't seem to register his words. Danny took the phone. "Keith?" He asked.

"Who the hell is this? What happened? Why's my cousin crying?" Keith demanded.

"It's Danny. Your brother's in bad shape."

"What happened?" Keith asked again.

Danny felt awkward having to be the one to deliver this news. "You just need to come, okay? The EMTs are going to take him to the hospital soon, so hurry up."

"Hospital? Jesus… Did he overdose?"

Danny raised an eyebrow at that. Apparently, Keith had realized Nicky had some serious issues with drugs. He'd seen it, too, but it wasn't really his business to say anything. "No, it's not that…"

"I'm on my way, but what the fuck am I walking into?"

"He slit his wrists, Keith."

Now Keith fell silent. Danny heard a sound that he guessed was the phone dropping out of Keith's hand, and then someone else picked it up. "What the fuck is going on?" Someone asked. Danny was pretty sure it was Molly.

"You guys need to get to Nicky's room. He tried to kill himself." Danny was nothing if not blunt.

"He… Nicky did _what?_ No… No, he wouldn't…"

"Denial won't help him. He did. He's in bad shape, and he's about to get taken to the hospital, so get over here."

Molly seemed to register the urgency of the situation. "We're on our way." She hung up. Two minutes later, she and Keith appeared in the hallway.

"Nicky… Oh God…" Keith whispered.

"Keith!" Trixie cried out. She ran into his arms. Keith was crying, too, but he tried to hide it as he focused on comforting his cousin and Molly, who was visibly panicking.

Danny was left standing alone, way too close to the kid with the slit wrists. He tried to shake off the flashes going through his head. He could see his mother bleeding to death. He remembered calling the ambulance and trying to stop the bleeding to save her life…

 _He's not your mother,_ he told himself. _You're an adult, not a scared kid. Get over your bullshit. You're fine. Everything's fine._

He snapped out of it as he felt Trixie's hand on his arm. "Are you okay?" He asked her.

"No…" She admitted. They were wheeling the stretcher out of the hotel room now.

"I'm here, okay? I know it's not much, but-"

"It's _everything_." She hugged him. "Thank you. I was useless. I panicked. You saved his life, Danny."

"We don't know that yet."

"I _do_. _I_ know it. I know it because it _has_ to be true… There's been too much bad lately. Something good _has_ to come to balance it out… But even if I'm wrong… You _tried,_ Danny. You didn't have to help him, but you did."

"We're going to the hospital," Molly said. "We can give you guys a lift."

"Both of us?" Danny asked in surprise.

"I heard what Trixie said. You saved his life, Danny. You're part of this now."

 _How the fuck did I end up becoming part of the_ Mickey Mouse Club _?_ He wondered. He didn't belong with these Legacies. They were wholesome and happy and annoyingly pure. He could admit Molly might not fit that mold, but everyone else seemed to. Then again, one of those perfect, happy people had just slit his wrists. Maybe he was wrong about them.

"I shouldn't intrude-" Danny protested.

"You're not intruding," Trixie said. "Please? I… I need you right now."

He nodded. "Okay. Let's go."

 _ **RANDY**_

He had a bad feeling as his cell phone rang. He saw it was Keith and picked up immediately. "Hey, Keith," he answered.

"Dad…" Keith's voice cracked.

"What's wrong?" Randy's heart was racing. Whatever this was, it was bad.

"Nicky's in the hospital… He… Um…"

"What happened?" He imagined alcohol poisoning or some other random, terrible thing. Maybe he'd been in a car accident? Maybe he'd tried to go back into training and had gotten hurt?

"He…" Keith sighed. "He tried to kill himself, Dad."

In an instant, Randy's world shattered. He could barely process what Keith was saying. "What? How? Is he… Is he alright? Where is he?"

"He slit his wrists… I'll text you the address of the hospital. He's alive, but… It's bad, Dad."

"I'll be right there. I just need to grab your mother." Randy hung up and tried to breathe. It was difficult. He dialed Corri's number.

"Hey, Sexy," Corri answered with a laugh in her voice.

"Corri… Where are you?" He asked.

"What's wrong?" Corri asked.

"Just… Tell me so I can come find you, okay?"

"Whatever it is, tell me."

"Corrinne… Please."

Corri gave in. "I'm in the lobby with AJ."

"I'm coming down." Randy hung up and rushed downstairs. He didn't know how to do this, but he had to tell her…

"What's going on?" Corri demanded. She looked terrified by the look Randy knew was on his face.

"It's Nicky… He's in the hospital."

"The hospital? What happened? Is he okay?"

"Keith said he tried to…" Randy shook his head and tried again. He had to do this. He had to tell her what was going on. "He's alive… But he slit his wrists."

Corri's face paled. She stumbled. Randy grabbed her before she could hurt herself.

"Can I help?" AJ asked.

"Tell the Bucks… I… We have to go," Corri said. "We need to get to him…"

Randy led her to his rental car. He drove faster than he ever had in his life. When they got to the waiting room, he spotted Keith and Molly clinging to each other.

"Dad!" Keith said. He ran to his parents. "Mom... I'm sorry. I didn't know he was this far gone…"

"It's okay," Corri said. "Tell us what you know."

"Not much… He was fine yesterday, but today… He did this… I don't understand it."

Trixie was sobbing nearby. She was curled up in the arms of the last person Randy expected, Danny Huber. "Trix? Are you holding up okay?" He asked.

"I… I found him," Trixie whispered. "I found him, and he was bleeding, and I thought… I thought he was…" She began sobbing.

Danny stroked her hair soothingly. "He's still alive," he said gently. "Hold on to that."

"Danny saved his life," Trixie told Randy as she calmed down enough to speak. "He reacted quickly and stopped the… the b-bleeding…"

Randy looked at Danny in a new light. Who exactly _was_ this kid? He'd never paid much attention to him before. He was just a trouble-maker who was kept low on the roster because of a temper problem. Yet, apparently, he'd just saved his son's life.

"Then I owe you a thank you," Randy said.

"No, you don't. Anyone would have done that," Danny said quickly.

Corri looked at Danny and said, "Don't brush this off, Danny… You saved my baby's life today."

"Is there any word from the doctors yet?" Randy asked.

"No, not yet," Molly said. She looked lost.

"Molly…" Randy hugged her. "Why don't you call your father? He should be here."

She nodded numbly and walked away to make the call. Keith looked devastated as he said, "This is my fault."

"No, Baby, it's not," Corri said quickly.

"You don't understand, Mom… I knew he wasn't okay. He…" Keith sighed. "He was seeing the company shrink, and he put him on some strong meds… And Nicky got hooked after the shooting. It was pretty bad, but we found out so quickly, I figured we could help him…"

"Why didn't you tell us?" Randy asked gently. He didn't want Keith to think he blamed him for this, but he was upset.

"Nicky begged us not to… And it took a few days, but we got him off the drugs, and he was fine… He was laughing and joking around and… He was _Nicky_ again. I don't understand what happened… How could he fall apart so quickly?"

Randy was stunned. How had he not realized his son had gone over the edge? "It's not your fault," Randy said quickly.

"I thought… I thought we could save him." Keith was crying.

Corri pulled Keith into her arms. "You did everything you could, Keith. You tried. He needs help," she told him.

A doctor appeared. "I'm looking for the family of Nicholas Orton?" He asked.

"That's us," Randy said, hurrying over to him.

"Is he okay?" Corri asked.

"Your son lost a lot of blood, but thanks to efforts made when he was found, the bleeding slowed down enough that the EMTs were able to stabilize him. We gave him a couple of transfusions, and physically, he's going to be just fine," the doctor said.

"Thank God…" Corri whispered. She buried her face in Randy's chest. He held her as she pulled herself together.

"We're keeping him down here until he's recovered enough to be moved up to psych, but we need to admit him. Suicide attempts are mandatory thirty-day admits."

"Thirty days?" Randy asked.

"He'll be evaluated and given the best care we can provide."

Randy nodded, trying to process what he was being told. His son was being hospitalized for at least a month, but he was alive. That was the most important part.

"When can we see him?" Corri asked.

"In a little while, when he's awake. We had to give him a mild sedative. He briefly came around and started to panic, and with the blood loss, his heart didn't need the added stress."

"I understand," Randy said. "Just tell us as soon as we can see him."

"I will… After Psych talks to him and we're certain it's safe."

"Safe?"

"Please don't take this the wrong way, but we need to make sure none of you are the reason he felt compelled to do this. We have to be careful with suicide attempts… We can't risk upsetting him unnecessarily."

"Of course," Corri said. Randy suspected she just wanted the doctor to go away until he had more news. Luckily, he walked away after that.

"Randy…" Corri whispered. "Our baby tried to kill himself…"

"I know, Corr," Randy said gently.

"I need some air."

He knew better than to stop her. He let her walk away, praying she'd be able to find some comfort soon.

 _ **CORRI**_

All she wanted to do was scream. Her son… Her _baby_ had slit his wrists! She had been off dealing with her own drama, feeling sorry for herself and clinging to her crazy Bullet Club friends, and all the while, Nicky was breaking.

She wanted to call Cayla. In fact, the _only_ person she wanted to call was Cayla, but was that really a good idea? She was one day into treatment. She couldn't handle this kind of stress.

Her phone rang. It didn't surprise her even slightly to see Cayla's name on the caller ID. "Cay…" She answered.

"What's wrong?" Cayla asked.

"No use lying, I guess…" Corri sighed. "Nicky's in the hospital, Cayla."

"What happened? Is he okay?"

"Apparently, he's not… He slit his wrists."

Cayla gasped. "Oh my God… Is he…?"

"He survived. They said he'll make it…"

"Corri… Jesus, what brought this on?"

"When I wasn't paying attention, he broke… He _broke,_ Cayla… My baby tried to kill himself today…"

"This isn't your fault, Corri."

"I know… Maybe… But I… I really…" She was crying now. "I _really_ want a drink."

"I know you do… But it's not going to help."

"I know that, too…" Corri sighed. "I can't do this, Cay. I don't know how to do this! My son needed me, and I wasn't there…"

"You didn't know, Corri."

"I _should_ have known."

"You couldn't have. Nicky was hiding it."

"He's my baby…"

"Trixie apparently broke up with Brandon because he turned into an abusive jerk. _I_ didn't know about _that_."

Corri was startled into silence. "What?" She felt rage boiling up inside of her, and she welcomed it. Rage she could deal with. This grief over Nicky's pain? Not so much. "I'll kick the Baby Goat's ass!"

"I don't know all the details… Saraya only told me a little, but apparently, it was bad enough that Shane forced him to go get therapy and anger management. They wrote him out of New Legacy."

"That asshole… He deserves worse." Suddenly, Corri realized she should tell Cayla more. "Cay… Trixie's the one who found him… She had Danny Huber with her, and thank God, because Danny stayed calm and saved Nicky's life."

"Oh God… Oh, my poor baby… Is she okay?"

"She's shaky, but she's here. Danny's got her, and Randy's in there with her, and Keith, and Molly. Dean's on his way."

"I wish I was there…" Cayla sighed. "But I can't be. I can't help anyone until I help myself."

"You're helping me just by talking to me. I needed to hear your voice."

"I knew that… But Corri… _You_ can't help anyone until you help yourself either."

"I'm getting help."

"Are meetings enough?"

Corri sighed. Cayla knew her too well. "No. I don't think so, not now… This… This is too much, Cay. This is the last straw for me."

"Then get help. Before it's too late. Promise me."

"I promise." She meant it. She decided she'd talk to someone and see what she needed to do next. She would stay sober for her kids. She would be strong.

 _ **NICKY**_

He woke up feeling confused. A machine was making strange beeping sounds nearby. There were people rushing around, but he was in a bed…

 _The hospital,_ he realized. _You're in the hospital. You're not dead._

"Excuse me," he called.

A nurse looked up from her clipboard and smiled. "Hi, Nicholas," she said pleasantly.

"Nicky," he corrected her automatically.

"Nicky. How are you feeling?"

"Confused," he admitted. "I don't know how I'm here."

"You hurt yourself pretty badly, but your cousin found you."

"Trixie? _Trixie_ found me? Oh God… Oh God, she must hate me…" He was horrified. He'd never expected Trixie to be the one to find him. He'd never hurt her like that.

"I'm sure that's not true. She's very relieved you're alright, though."

"Can I see her? I… I need to explain…"

"Soon. First, we need to understand what happened. I'll call your doctor, and then if all goes well, you can see your parents and the rest of your family. One at a time, of course."

"My parents? They're here?" He started to panic slightly. If they were there, that meant that they knew what he'd done.

"Stay calm, Nicky. It's alright. No one's mad at you. Are you scared of them?"

"Of my parents? No, of course not. But I… I didn't want them to know. They're under so much stress, and I just made it worse…"

"You need help, Nicky, that's all. It'll be okay. Let me call your doctor." She walked away and Nicky tried not to freak out. His parents knew. _Everyone_ would know. Worst of all, his happy, bubbly cousin had found him… He'd probably broken her.

As soon as the doctor came to him, he said, "I need to see Trixie. Please. I have to explain…"

"Nicky, I'm sorry, but we really need to discuss things first-" The doctor said.

"If you want me to talk, you'll get my cousin in here first." Nicky wasn't sure he had any right to demand she be there, but he didn't care. He needed to make sure she was alright.

The doctor stopped protesting, apparently deciding bringing Trixie in wouldn't do him any harm. A few minutes later, he returned with her by his side.

"Trix…" Nicky said.

Trixie burst into tears. "Nicky, oh God…" She sobbed. She hugged him, careful to avoid the wires he was hooked up to. "Thank God you're okay!"

"I'm so sorry, Trixie. I never meant for you to be the one to… I didn't… I'm sorry you had to see me like that."

"Why'd you do this, Nicky? What happened? How could you hurt yourself like that?"

"Trixie, perhaps now's not the time-" The doctor began.

"No, it's okay," Nicky said. "She deserves an answer." He sighed. "I don't know, Trix. I was okay yesterday… I mean, I was _more_ than okay. I was more up than I've ever been… And then, suddenly, it just stopped… And I was miserable. And I felt like it would never end…" Nicky started crying.

"Nicky…" Trixie held him tighter. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know…"

"No one did. I didn't talk about it. I just gave in to it. I thought… I thought you'd all be better off."

"We're _not_! You're my _cousin,_ Nicky! I love you. I _need_ you."

"I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing… Stop apologizing and just tell me you're going to get better, Nicky."

"I don't know if I can, Trix… I'm not sure I can get through this."

"You're going to have help," the doctor said. "That's why we're here, Nicky. You aren't alone. We're going to figure out what happened to you."

"Can you forgive me, Trixie?" Nicky asked.

"I'm _me,_ " Trixie said. "What do _you_ think?" She shook her head. "There's nothing to forgive, Nicky. You just need help. I can't be mad at you for that. I'll only be mad if you refuse to take it."

He was relieved. He'd never forgive himself, but at least Trixie wasn't going to hate him forever. "I love you… I'm sorry it was you, but thank you for saving me."

"I didn't."

"What?"

"Danny was with me when I… When I found you. I freaked out. _He_ saved you."

"Danny hates me. Why would he save me?"

"I guess he doesn't hate you as much as you think he does."

He was stunned. He owed Danny Huber his life? He wasn't sure how to feel about that, especially since he hadn't wanted to survive. Now that he had, however, he was going to have to make the most of the fact that he was in a hospital and could no longer hide how bad things had gotten. He tried to believe that all hope wasn't lost, but he was still so depressed… What if that never went away?

He looked at his cousin and decided he needed to try. He owed it to her. He'd just put her through hell, and the least he could do was try to get better. It might not be possible, but at least if he tried, Trixie would know he made the effort.


	35. Chapter 35

**CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE**

 _ **MOLLY**_

She'd spent the last several hours curled up between the Sire and Keith. As soon as she'd called him, the Sire had rushed to the hospital, but none of them had seen Nicky yet. Trixie had been allowed in at Nicky's request, but other than that, only his parents had seen him before the doctor decided he needed rest more than he needed visitors. Keith insisted on staying, and Molly wanted to do the same, so the Sire had ended up staying, too.

The Young Bucks sat across from them looking broken. Nick had obviously been crying. Matt was hiding his emotions better, but it was clear he wasn't okay. Corri had sandwiched herself between them while Randy was visiting Nicky, but now she sat beside him resting her head on his shoulder.

Trixie had passed out in Danny's arms. Molly watched the way Danny held her and kept all of his attention on her. The level of protectiveness radiating off of him surprised her, but not nearly as much as the content smile on his face as he watched her sleep. _He's in love with her,_ she realized with a start. She'd known there was something between them, but she hadn't expected him to have fallen in love with her. At most, she figured he had gotten attached to her and maybe wanted to sleep with her, because Danny got around, but love? That was different.

Her cell phone began vibrating. Molly excused herself when she saw it was Dillon. She wasn't feeling overly sociable, but right now, she needed a distraction, and she'd promised she would be there if he needed her.

"Hey, Dillon. What's up?" She answered.

"You're okay," he said with relief.

"Mostly. Why? Should I _not_ be?"

"The dirtsheets are going nuts about someone from WWE being rushed to the hospital for attempting suicide... They said it's believed to have been someone from New Legacy, and I... I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Molly felt rage consuming her. Nicky hadn't even been in the hospital for twenty-four hours yet and the wrestling rags had told the entire world what happened. She was relieved they hadn't released a name yet.

"It wasn't me," Molly said.

"But it was _someone?_ It's true?" Dillon asked in horror.

"It's true." Molly sighed.

"It wasn't Gabe, was it?"

"No, Gabe's fine. It... Look, keep this to yourself, okay? He wouldn't want everyone to know."

"Of course I will."

"It was Nicky... Nick Orton."

"Is he alright?"

"He's alive. Beyond that... I'm still waiting to see him."

"I guess you're close?"

 _I took his virginity. I'd say that makes us pretty close,_ Molly thought.

"He's family," she said. "We were raised on the road together. His mom pretty much filled the female role model slot in my life since I didn't have a mother. He's... He's my best friend. Him, and Keith, and Trixie."

"I'm sorry, Molly... Are you okay?"

"I'll be better after I see him for myself. I don't know why he did this. He was doing better..." She shook her head. "He's been having a rough time lately."

"Sometimes, it feels like death is the only way out..."

"Dillon... You're not suicidal, are you?"

"Not today... I've thought about it, Molly. Things were so bad at home, and I get depressed sometimes, and it just sort of made sense, but I couldn't do it... I couldn't leave Randi alone with her."

"Are you okay now that you aren't with her?"

"So far."

"Listen, swear to me if you ever feel like that again you'll call me."

"Okay."

"Good... I wish... I wish Nicky had called. You _have_ to call, okay?"

"I will. I promise.. I'm sorry about your friend, Molly. I hope he gets better."

"Yeah... Me, too."

She hung up and headed back to the waiting room. Keith was pacing back and forth, looking appropriately stressed out. He kept alternating between crossing his arms over his chest and gripping his head in his hands as he did this. Molly was amazed how much he looked like Randy when he paced like that. His father had the same nervous habit.

Her Sire was texting, most likely Coby, Joe, or both. He rarely texted anyone else because he hated technology, but he'd indulge his Shield brothers, Molly, and occasionally Corri.

To her surprise, a few people rushed into the waiting room. It was Ginny, Gabe, and Lucas. "The news... They said one of us..." Gabe started.

Ginny's eyes scanned the waiting room. "Oh God... _Nicky?"_ She asked in horror. She began sobbing, burying her face in Gabe's chest as he pulled her into his arms.

Lucas looked like he'd already suspected as much and his worst fears had been confirmed. "Is he alright?" He asked shakily.

Since Keith had automatically joined Gabe in comforting Ginny, Molly went to Lucas. "He's alive," she said. "Stable, but he's being admitted to Psych..."

Lucas looked like he might start crying. "He was fine yesterday... _Too_ fine, really... I should have realized something was wrong."

"It's not your fault," Molly said quickly. "We _all_ wanted to believe he was better."

"He was acting oddly... I think..." He lowered his voice. "I think he had some sort of manic episode, Molly."

"Manic? Like he's bipolar or something?" Molly considered this. "He's always been a little on the emo side, but never manic..."

"The violent outbursts... His temper flares are symptoms."

"That was the drinking, and the drugs. It's a new thing for him."

"He's eighteen. Most people have their first manic episode between seventeen and nineteen. The depression manifests earlier, but the mania kicks in later on."

"How do you know all this?"

Lucas looked embarrassed. "I'm taking abnormal psychology right now... Online. I know I'm not an expert, but the symptoms fit... Sorry. I may be out of line suggesting this."

"I never said you were wrong. I just wanted to understand where you were coming from. You could be right. Kenny mentioned Nicky was talking really fast, and that's another sign."

"I saw that for myself yesterday. It was like he couldn't stop himself."

"It could be the drugs."

"True. But he's off them now."

"Could the drugs have triggered a manic episode?"

"It does happen sometimes, yes. If he already had the chemical imbalance, the drugs could trigger it faster than it would happen naturally."

"I'll make sure this gets brought up to the right people so they can see if he really has it."

"I feel awful... I should have realized he was manic and would be headed for an inevitable crash..."

"Lucas, you're still in school. You haven't even finished your psych class yet. This isn't on you... It's on that quack who diagnosed him with ADHD and sent him on his merry way with a bunch of drugs he could abuse."

"Thank you for that. I know you're right, but... I like Nicky. He's a great guy and I care about him."

"I know. He'll be okay, Lucas. He can get help now... He _will_ get through this. I'm not giving him any other choice... I'm not losing him."

She knew every single person there felt that way. Nicky might not know it, but he had a lot of people who loved him, and they were all gathered there ready to fight for him.

 _ **SARAYA**_

She hadn't believed it when Cayla called in tears to tell her the news. "Please go, Saraya... I can't, and Trixie needs someone," she pled.

Saraya had, of course, immediately left for the hospital. Now she stood just outside the waiting room, unseen, watching everyone else.

Everyone was a mess. She spotted her daughter asleep on Dannyand made her way into the waiting room. "Corri..." She said as she pulled her sister-in-law into a hug. "How are you holding up?"

"Not well," Corri admitted. "I didn't think to call you... I'm an idiot. Trixie needs you-"

"Shush. It's fine. Cay called. Besides, it looks like my daughter is doing quite well without me..." She shook her head. "She appears to have inherrited my thing for bad boys."

"And yet, you married my sister," Corri said with a slight laugh.

"Thank God for that! Imagine if I hadn't found someone to tame me! I'd be swinging from chandeliers drunk. Oh wait, I did that last Monday night..." She was joking at an inappropriate time, but Corri was laughing, so she decided it was the right move.

She walked over to Trixie and was about to wake her when Danny spoke. "She needs the rest," he said softly.

Saraya studied him. This handsome troublemaker genuinely seemed to care about her daughter. "Right," she agreed. "But I'm here when she wakes up."

Danny nodded. Saraya felt her phone vibrate and ducked into the hallway. It was Stephanie. "Hullo, Stephanie," she said pleasantly. She needed to be pleasant if she was going to get Stephanie to agree to her idea.

"What can I do for you, Saraya?" Stephanie asked. "Is this about poor Nicky? I just heard. How are Corri and Randy? Do they need anything?"

"They're trying to hold it together. Nicky's alive, so I think they're holding on to that... But no. This has nothing to do with them. I... I was wondering, with Paul and Corri on leave, what's happening to NXT?"

Stephanie hesitated. "It's not looking good," she admitted. "We put all tapings on hold indefinitely. We have officially disbanded the Boot Camp program until further notice... Shane thinks we may need to cut our losses and let it go."

"Let it _go?_ Are you bloody _mad?_ NXT is the heart and soul of this bloody company!What will happen to all the baby wrestlers?"

"Half of them quit anyway. They're spooked. Between what they saw and the fact that one of their Boot Campers went on a killing spree, they don't want any part of NXT anymore. We still have a few, but not enough to save the program. We'll let everyone go unless they're ready for the main roster, except for Faye, of course. She's a Legacy. We're not going to fire her, especially since she is the one trying to convince everyone else not to give in to fear and quit. She's very loyal to us."

"What if I had an idea to save NXT?"

"Do you? Because it's Paul's baby. I'd hate to see it die. Besides, NXT is great for business... But unfortunity, its reputation is severely tarnished now."

"Bring me on."

"What do you mean?"

"Let me run it while Corri and Paul are on leave. Give me free reign to bring in anyone I see fit."

"Saraya, we can't bring anyone else in. Boot Camp ended with a body count!"

"Not Boot Camp. I work on the indies, Stephanie. I know people who'd be _great_ in WWE, ones who can breathe fresh life into NXT and who I trust very much _not_ to turn psychotic and show up with a gun... You can always have them get psychiatric evaluations first, but... Please, Stephanie. NXT is where so many of us got our start. I was the first girl to hold the NXT and Divas titles at the same time. It's part of my _soul._ I can't sit back and watch it die because of one bad egg... And Dusty would be ashamed of me if I didn't do everything in my power to save it."

Stephanie softened, apparently touched by Saraya's rant, or maybe by the mention of Dusty Rhodes, who'd had such a major role in the early NXT days before his death. "Alright... I'll consider it."

"Do I need to convince Shane?"

"I'm still in charge here. Shane has no say if I make a choice."

"Right on, Sister! I've got this, Stephanie. I won't let you down."

Saraya hadn't planned on saving NXT... She'd called to see if she could work there for a bit so she could do something while she was home waiting for Cayla to get well, but now, she knew she'd made the call for a reason. She _needed_ to do this. It might just be her destiny.

She decided she'd talk to Corri when things calmed down a bit. She'd asked her the day before if she minded her trying to fill in for a bit and Corri hadn't had an issue with it, but if she was making changes, she wanted to run them by her as a courtesy.

Internally, she began running down a list of people she could call. At the top was a young wrestler named Kristy, a quirky nerd girl who loved comic books and wrestling more than anything else in the world. She worshipped Seth Rollins, and Saraya suspected Colby would want to save NXT just as much as she did. He'd been the first NXT Champion. It was part of _his_ soul, too. Maybe he'd be willing to mentor the girl.

Saraya decided she'd call Kristy as soon as possible to be her first new roster member. She focused on making a list of others, happy to have something to distract her from the reason she was at the hospital. It felt good to be faced with a problem she could actually work to _solve_ for once.

 _ **DANNY**_

Trixie stirred in his arms. She looked up at him in confusion, then seemed to remember why they were there.

"Your mother's here," Danny told her. He figured with Cayla in a treatment facility, he didn't need to be more specific.

"Mum's here? Where?" Trixie asked.

"In the hallway, I think. She was on her phone."

"I should go find her..."

Saraya stuck her head in and noticed Trixie was awake. "Oh, Luv... Are you alright?" She asked, rushing to her.

Trixie started sobbing in her mother's arms. Danny let her have her space. He was fine with keeping his distance from everyone, but Molly came over to him.

"You love her," Molly said bluntly.

"What?" Danny asked.

"Trixie. You're in love with her."

"You're nuts. I barely know her."

"I can see it when you look at her."

"I don't _do_ love."

"Neither do _I,_ but I love Keith." She looked surprised by her own words.

"You've known him forever and you guys are friends. Until recently, all I ever did with Trixie was bully her."

"You changed. She does that to people."

"Fine, if you know so much, maybe I like her... So what?"

"So, _do_ something about it."

"Trixie made it abundantly clear she's not into me like that."

"She was with Brandon and was confused... But she liked it when you kissed her, Danny."

"She _did?"_ He raised an eyebrow at that.

"Yeah, enough that she wasn't so sure she wanted Brandon anymore. So kiss her again. Make a move."

"I can't. She _just_ broke up with her boyfriend."

"She likes you, Danny. Ask her out."

"No."

"Why the fuck not?"

"Because... She deserves better, Molly. I'm not good enough for her."

Molly stared at him. "And that's exactly why you _are..._ Because you think you aren't. Because you'd sacrifice your happiness for hers."

"You're reading too much into this."

"Look. Trixie is my best friend, and the last guy she was with hurt her. If you hurt her, you'll meet my fork intimately. The thing is, I don't think you will. I trust you with her."

"Why?"

"You have a talent for saving her life. You're also being really sweet with her right now. And you saved Nicky. You're _not_ the dick you want people to think you are."

"Molly-"

"Just kiss her. Trust me, she wants you to."

Molly walked away and Danny was left thinking about her words. He wanted to kiss Trixie again, more than anything. The first kiss had been so... _sweet._ He didn't normally kiss girls like Trixie, the sweet, innocent types, but he'd liked it. A _lot._ And Molly had called him on his feelings for Trixie. He wasn't the type to fall in love. He was certain he wasn't capable of that... But whatever he felt for Trixie, it was strong and unlike anything he'd felt before. He was very tempted to do as Molly said and kiss Trixie again, but he meant what he'd said. Trixie deserved a _lot_ better than him.

 _ **KEITH**_

 _I failed him,_ Keith thought for the billionth time. His little brother had needed him, and he'd failed him. He hadn't gone to their parents when he knew he should have, and he'd left Nicky unsupervised knowing he was coming down off of a long, difficult withdrawal session. He'd seemed fine, but Keith still hated himself for leaving him. He was older. He should have known better.

"Keith?" The doctor asked.

Keith looked up. "Yes?" He replied.

"Your brother is up. He's asking for you."

Keith put on a brave face and followed the doctor into Nicky's room. He looked like a scared kid sitting on the bed hooked up to all of those wires. Keith approached him cautiously. The doctor gave them a little bit of space for privacy. Keith assumed Nicky must have asked for it, but the doctor was close enough to jump in if something happened.

"Hey..." Nicky said softly.

"Hey yourself," Keith said. "You scared us, Nick..."

"I know... I'm sorry."

"No... _I'm_ sorry. I'm the idiot who thought we could fix you on our own. I should have insisted you get real help... I..." Keith sighed. "You need help, Nicky. This isn't your fault."

"It's more mine than yours. Quit blaming yourself. I'm the one who slit my wrists."

"Nick..." Keith's voice cracked slightly. "You can't do that to me ever again, do you understand?"

"I'll try."

"How could you think this was okay? You have so many people who love you, and you just..." He shook his head. "You don't need a guilt trip. I'm sorry."

"I told myself you guys would be better off..."

"How could I be better off without you? You're my _brother!"_

"Exactly. I'm the extra Orton, the Spare. The world really only needs one child of Randy Orton and Corri Casey. You're the special one, Keith. You're just like Dad. You're a better wrestler than I am-"

"You're just as good as I was two years ago, Nicky! I've just been training longer."

"You've got your shit together _all_ the time. I'm a mess. You're outgoing and everyone likes you, and I prefer books to people most of the time."

"Nicky... You aren't me. So _what?_ You're you, and that's even better."

"Yeah, right... You don't get it, Keith. You _can't._ Everything comes easy to you. You were born to be the next huge WWE superstar. You can cut promos without a rehearsal because you're just that great of a talker... You have yet to meet a move you can't do perfectly-"

"You're just as good at the physical stuff, and promos get easier as you do more of them."

"Stop trying to make me feel better. You _can't._ You're fucking _perfect,_ and _no one_ needs me!"

"Nick-"

"They pushed me because they wanted another _you!_ And I'm sorry because I know I majorly disappointed them. I'm not you. I'm just the _other_ Orton."

"That's not true!"

"You even stole _Molly_ from me!"

Keith was stunned. "Nicky... I didn't-"

"Don't act like you didn't know."

"I _didn't._ I'd never do anything to hurt you-"

"Your _existence_ hurts me!"

Keith recoiled like Nicky had slapped him. His chest felt tight. Was this _really_ how his brother felt? They'd always been so close...

"It's time to go," the doctor said.

"Nick... I-I'm sorry," Keith managed to say.

"Just go. Forget it," Nicky said.

Keith wished that he could. The doctor was sedating Nicky. A nurse led Keith away gently. "Try not to take it personally," she said softly. "Your brother's very sick. He's having some sort of episode. I'm sure he'll regret everything he said. He probably didn't mean any of it."

"Thanks," Keith said numbly. He wasn't so sure he believed her. Nicky had sounded pretty convincing.

When Keith got back to the waiting room, he immediately walked away. Molly chased after him. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"It's my fault," Keith blurted out.

"Keith, it's _not-"_

"He _hates_ me, Molly. I'm the cause of all his issues."

"That's ridiculous."

"He... You didn't hear him."

"Keith, whatever he said, he's not thinking straight. He just tried to kill himself."

"He pretty much told me being my brother ruined his life."

"You're a _great_ brother. He's just upset."

"He..." He shook his head.

"He what?"

"He said I stole you from him..."

Molly looked horrified. "I thought he understood we weren't going to be a couple or anything..."

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"That first night I covered for him... When he sobered up, I kind of... We... um..."

"Oh God..." Keith knew what she wasn't saying. "Molly, he was still a virgin!"

"I know... I felt bad when I realized that, but... You know _me_... Impulse control issues... Do you hate me now?"

"I could _never_ hate you. But I'm surprised... Not that you did that, but that _he_ did. I know you're a free spirit about things like that. It's why I haven't tried to tie you down with any rules about _us,_ but Nicky... I always pictured him as a monk. Or at least as someone who waited until he got married."

"Is this weird for you?"

"It should be, but no. We both love you, Molly. We always have. I just hate that I hurt him."

"I never meant for Nicky to get hurt..."

"I know. It's okay, Mol. We'll figure this out." He kissed her.

"He doesn't hate you, Keith," Molly said after a minute. "He idolizes you... But I think Lucas is on to something. He thinks Nicky's bipolar."

"Bipolar? Why?"

"Think about how irrational he's randomly been lately."

"He was on drugs."

"And just now? He's sober. He still snapped and flipped out on you."

"He seemed rational... Just angry."

"But Nicky's not the angry type, Keith. He doesn't lash out at people like this. He keeps everything in."

He had to admit, she had a point. "I'll bring it up to my parents..." He wondered if he was a terrible person for hoping Molly was right. If Nicky was bipolar, he might not actually hate him, and that would be a relief. Even now, Keith couldn't fully shake the pain Nicky's words had caused. He'd give anything for it to turn out Nicky hadn't meant them.

 _We'll get through this,_ he thought. _All of us... We_ have _to._ He found himself wondering if it was even possible for things to ever get back to normal again.


	36. Chapter 36

**CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX**

 _ **CORRI**_

The next day, Nicky was admitted into the psych ward. Corri and Randy were there to help him get settled. "Don't you want to come, Keith?" Corri asked.

"I don't think he wants to see me," Keith said, staring at the ground.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

"He just made it clear yesterday he doesn't want me around… I don't want to make this harder on him, Mom."

"Okay... We'll keep you updated."

"Thanks. I'll head back to the hotel with Molly and Dean."

After that, Corri stood by Randy's side, watching as Nicky was moved, and then as settled into his new room. She forced herself to stay calm, praying Nicky would be alright somehow.

A phone call to Paul had ensured Nicky would be treated by the best doctors available. He'd even made sure that Nicky's family was allowed to visit as long as Nicky wanted to see them. He covered the cost of Nicky's treatment and promised Corri he'd help in whatever way he could. Paul might be on leave from WWE, but he hadn't abandoned the Casey twins. This meant more to Corri than she wanted to admit. They'd had a complicated relationship with Paul for years, but he was family.

An hour into his stay in his new room, Nicky looked at Corri and said, "Mom… Can you tell Keith I'm sorry?"

"For what, Baby?" Corri asked.

"I… I said some things… I think I really hurt him, Mom. I didn't mean to, but… But I _did_ mean to. I don't know why I did it, but I did, and I… I have to fix it because he's going to hate me…" Nicky started to cry.

"I think you both should leave now," the doctor said.

"No! Please, not yet," Nicky said. "I'm okay." He took several deep breaths.

"Keith doesn't hate you, Baby," Corri promised. "He thinks you're upset with him, though."

"I'm not… I don't think I am, anyway… I just… Please, Mom. Please tell him."

"I will. I promise."

"Is Alanna mad?"

Randy looked away. "I… um… I sort of may not have told her yet. She had just gotten on a plane to go home when this happened," he said.

"Dad, she's going to freak out on you!"

"I agreed with him that it was better," Corri said. "We wanted to have all of the details before we told her what happened. Alanna loves you very much, Nicky."

"I know… That's why I'm sure she'll hate me."

"No she won't," Randy said. "She'll probably be mad at _me_ for not telling her right away, but she won't hate you, Nicky."

Nicky paused. More tears formed in his eyes as he asked, "Do _you?"_

"What? Of course not. You're my son. I love you, Nicky."

"I tried to kill myself. I quit. I'm an _Orton_. We don't quit."

"Ortons break more often than you think. That includes _me_. It's okay, Nicky. You survived. That's what matters. Now you can get the help you need."

Nicky looked to Corri. "Mom? Are you mad at me?"

"Oh, Baby… No. No, I'm not mad…" Corri said. She looked at Randy as she continued, "We're _all_ damaged, Baby. Every last one of us is fucked-up and broken, but you know what? We try our hardest to find someone with enough krazy glue to piece us back together, because that's what life is about. We find the people who help us heal, and we come back stronger." It was the exact thing Randy had said to her before she quit WWE to escape getting fired for a wellness policy violation. She'd had her biggest nervous breakdown, she was out of control with the drugs, and she had not only hit him, but wrongly accused him of trying to get her fired. Randy had begged her to stay and get help, and these had been the words he'd said to her. They stuck in her mind, even after all these years, because she thought they were among the last words he'd _ever_ say to her. The speech was oddly comforting to her now, and she hoped it would comfort Nicky to know he was not alone in being messed up in the head.

Nicky hugged her. "You… You guys should… probably… go," Nicky forced himself to say.

"We can stay as long as you need, Nicky," Randy said.

"If you don't go now, I won't let you leave."

Randy nodded. "If that's what you need…" He hugged him. "You _will_ get better, Nicky. I know you will."

"I'm sorry, Dad… I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Mom…" Nicky hugged her again. "I love you. Please forgive me for being so stupid."

"You weren't stupid. You were hurting. I've done worse things when I was hurting. It's okay," Corri told him. "I love you so much, Baby."

"I know you do."

With that, they left. Corri started crying when they were finally out of the hospital. Randy held her until she was calmer. "Come with me today?" She asked him.

"Of course I will," Randy said.

Corri was going to the best rehab center in Florida. She knew the staff. She'd gone to meetings there. She'd sent countless wrestlers who needed help there. Now, she was about to talk to them about something she'd never wanted to discuss again.

"I'm here to be evaluated," Corri informed the nurse at the front desk. "Brett's expecting me."

The nurse led Corri and Randy into the back. Brett, one of the staff, smiled when he saw her. "Relax, Corri," he said. "We're just here to talk."

"I think I need to go in-patient," Corri blurted out.

Brett looked very concerned. "Have you slipped up with your sobriety?"

"No… Not yet, anyway. But it's bad, Brett."

"How bad?"

"You know about the shooting. You also know, thanks to meetings, that I feel responsible for that."

"As I told you before, you're not responsible for the actions of that boy."

"But I feel that way… And I was starting to feel better, but…" Corri sighed. "I can't. Randy, tell him?"

Brett looked at Randy. "Go on," he said. "I assume if she won't talk about it, it's very bad."

"Our youngest son… Nicky…" Randy took a deep breath and switched on his controlled, militant personality. "He tried to kill himself."

"Oh, Corri… I'm so sorry!" Brett said. "Is he alright?"

"He's being treated in a psych ward," Corri said. "But I had to leave him… And I hate that… I know he needs help, but I feel like I screwed him up."

"Corri, this is tragic, but it's not your fault."

"I'm ready to slip up, Brett. I'm ten seconds away."

"But you didn't. You came here instead."

"Well, yeah, but-"

"That's _huge,_ Corri! Before, you would have given in and had no regrets, but you didn't. You tried to get help instead. That's how I know you're going to be okay."

"I'm glad one of us thinks so."

"You have an amazing support system, and you have your own determination pushing you. You won't slip up, Corri, because you decided not to."

"So?"

"You don't need to go in-patient, Corri. You need to seek treatment, absolutely. I recommend being part of our day program. You spend all day here, but you get to go home every night to your family. It's our halfway program, and you're more than capable of beating this using that."

"I… You think I can manage with just day treatment?"

"I absolutely do."

Corri let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. The idea of going in-patient, of not being able to see Nicky or Cayla when they needed her had hurt. What hurt even worse was the idea of being away from Randy like that. She needed him more now than ever.

"What do we need to do?" Randy asked.

"Just let me get the paperwork and we'll set you up with a schedule. You're going through a lot, Corri. Anyone would be tempted to slip up, but I promise you, you're going to be alright," Brett said.

 _You're going to be alright,_ Corri repeated to herself. She continued to do this as Randy handled the paperwork, reciting the words like a mantra. If she said it enough times, she might just believe it.

 _ **SARAYA**_

She was going down her list slowly. The first person she called was Kristy. "Hullo, Luv, it's Saraya," she greeted her.

"Hey!" Kristy said cheerfully. "What's up?"

"Well, little prodigy, I have an offer for you."

"Is it a show? The answer's yes, wherever it is!"

Saraya chuckled. "What if you're already booked somewhere else?"

"Shows with you are _way_ more fun than ones without you."

"Well, this is more of a _steady_ booking, Luv."

"Steady? Great. Which promotion? Is it in the US? My mom will flip if I go out of the country for too long."

"Yes, Luv, it's based in the States… And I'm sure you'll be eager to say yes."

"So what's the gig, Saraya? The anticipation's killing me."

"You're eighteen, right?"

"Yep. Been training for two years because I _insisted_ Mom let me, but yes, I'm still only eighteen."

"That's old enough." Saraya smiled. "How would you feel about coming to Florida for a while?"

"Warm weather? Some of the best wrestling in the country? Sure!"

"At NXT."

Kristy let out a sound of surprise. "What?" She asked.

"I just took over for a bit… I understand if you don't feel comfortable, given what's happened recently, but-"

"Are you _kidding?_ It's NXT! It's _WWE!_ That's the _dream!_ Of _course_ I'll do it!"

"I _thought_ you'd say that. When can you start?"

"I'm free as soon as you need me."

"I'll book you a flight as soon as possible and send you the info."

"This is _so_ cool!" Kristy gushed. Saraya could envision her bouncing up and down in excitement. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"You earned it, Luv. You're amazing. I'll see you soon." She hung up and moved on to the rest of her list.

A groggy voice answered the phone with a groan of, "Sup?"

"Oh, come on, Scotty-Boy! It's got to be at _least_ two o'clock in the afternoon in Chicago!" Saraya said cheerfully.

"I needed a nap," Scotty replied.

"Slacker."

"Totally."

"Listen, Scotty, I need your help."

"At your service, M'Lady," he replied grandly.

"Oh, sure, _now_ you reply!" She laughed. "Do you even know who this is?"

"No, but you sound hot."

"It's _Saraya,_ you nutter! Your mum would smack you for flirting with me."

He laughed. "What do you need, Saraya?"

"I need you and Twin Two to come to Florida for a bit."

"For?"

"Wrestling."

"Duh. But where?"

"NXT…" She hoped this wouldn't result in her being hung up on.

"Wait… As in WWE? You want _us_ to come to _WWE_?"

"Yep."

"You're nuts."

"I've been called worse."

"Triple H and Stephanie _can't_ be okay with this."

"What they don't know won't hurt me. Besides, you're _legacies!_ This is your _birthright!_ "

Scotty laughed. "Mom and Dad might not see it that way… But I'm in… I mean, if Toby is."

"Great! Let me know and I'll send you tickets." She hung up and hoped she wouldn't get in _too_ much trouble for recruiting those two. The twin sons of two people who'd made headlines when they walked away from the company over two decades earlier might not exactly have had an open invitation under normal circumstances, but they were bloody _good_ , and _she_ was in charge now. Besides, April was still one of her best mates, and although Phil had turned his back on the wrestling business, their sons loved it. They should have every opportunity in the world to pursue their passion no matter who their parents were.

 _You're going to be in major trouble for this,_ she told herself, but she didn't really care. She was _known_ for breaking rules. Stephanie should have expected something like this. Besides, when they saw the boys perform, they'd thank her… She hoped.

 _ **NICKY**_

He'd had more visitors after his parents left. Matt and Nick had come to see him. It was the first time they'd seen him since he tried to kill himself, and they both looked terrified.

"Are you okay?" Matt asked.

"I guess," Nicky said. What _else_ was he supposed to say?

"You kind of, um… Well, you stopped paying attention to our lessons, huh?" Nick asked.

"I didn't… I just…" Nicky sighed. "I was under a lot of pressure and I gave in. I'm sorry. I know you're disappointed."

"None of that!" Matt said. "We're concerned, not disappointed. People make mistakes, Nicky. It's okay. Just make better choices next time. We're here for you."

"I thought you'd disown me."

"Never, Kiddo," Nick said. "You're our Godson. We take that seriously."

"We love you, Nicky," Matt said.

"What he said."

Nicky leaned on his Godfathers and took comfort in the fact that they were still there for him. He'd thought they would abandon him for going against everything they believed in. It was good to know he hadn't lost them because of his issues.

"We're going to head out," Nick finally said. "Is there anyone you want to see? There's still a few people in the waiting room… Ginny. Gabe. Lucas."

"Lucas is here?" Nicky was startled.

"Yeah. He seems very worried about you," Matt said.

"I… You can send him in."

"You sure you don't want us to ask Molly to come back?" Nick asked in surprise.

"Yeah. I can't face her yet… I need time."

"Okay. We'll send him in…"

They left. A few minutes later, Lucas walked in. He offered Nicky a sad smile. "How are you feeling, Nicky?" He asked.

"Like I tried to kill myself," Nicky said. He sighed and patted the bed for Lucas to come sit with him. "I'm sorry. I know I upset everyone."

"We're just worried… We could have lost you, Nicky. And _none_ of us want to lose you."

"I just snapped."

"I know. It's okay."

"Why are you here, Lucas?"

"Well… I heard what happened, and I was worried… I mean… I'm sorry. I know I'm not family. Maybe I shouldn't have stayed-"

"No, it's okay. I like that you're here… I feel like I can talk to you."

"You _can,_ Nicky. Anytime, about anything. I mean that."

"Thanks… I don't understand why you're being so nice to me."

"Because you're my friend. That's what friends do."

Nicky leaned against him. "I don't even know what to do from here," he admitted.

"Just take it one day at a time, Nicky. They'll take care of you here."

"I didn't mean for it to go this far…"

"I believe you. You're going to get well, Nicky."

"I don't know if that's possible."

"It is. You just have to be willing to let someone help you."

"I…" Nicky closed his eyes and refused to look at Lucas as he whispered, "I'm scared."

"Hey… It's okay to be scared," Lucas said gently. "You're going through a lot. You're sick, Nicky, but you _can_ get better. And I'm here for you."

"I appreciate that, but visitors can only come during certain times of day, and you have to work…"

"I do, but there are other options…" He paused. "I was told you're allowed to have your phone. If you need me, Face Time me. I don't care what time it is. Talk to me."

Nicky was surprised by the offer. "You'd do that for me?"

"I like talking to you. Why wouldn't I?"

For the first time in what felt like ten centuries, Nicky smiled. "Thank you. For giving me hope that this whole experience might not _completely_ suck."

Lucas smiled back. "I'm happy to help."

After he left, Nicky sat down with his assigned therapist. The man was kind and patient, but Nicky was nervous about talking to him. He started talking quickly, too quickly to keep up with. After nearly two hours of this, the therapist did more than just steer the conversation as best he could.

"Nicky, I had a talk with your parents before our session today," he said. "Apparently, someone brought it to their attention that some of your symptoms are very common in patients with bipolar disorder. After speaking with you for quite some time, and observing your mood shifts… I am inclined to agree. In fact, not only do I think you may be bipolar, but I am confident you have rapid cyclic bipolar disorder."

"What does that mean?"

"It means you cycle between mania and depression quickly. Your mood doesn't stabilize."

"So I'm crazy?" Nicky's chest hurt.

"No, Nicky. Not at all." The therapist paused. "Bipolar disorder is really hard to cope with. Untreated, it can become very debilitating."

"Does that mean I have to stay here?"

"Not forever, Nicky. Just until we get your moods stable. We need to put you on medication."

Terror seized him at the idea of having to go through withdrawal again. "No. Not again… Please… No meds."

"These medications aren't addictive. I'm going to be very careful what I prescribe for you. We'll start slow, with low doses, and you will have the medications monitored strictly by our staff. You can't abuse it if it's not in your possession."

"Is there any other way?"

"Unfortunately, the best treatment for bipolar disorder is medication. It's a purely chemical disorder. You need the medication to stabilize an imbalance."

"God… I'm a freak."

"You're not a freak. There's no reason to be ashamed of this, Nicky. A lot of people have depressive disorders. It's something we can take care of. You can get better."

"Are you sure?"

"I've treated plenty of people with bipolar disorder before, Nicky. Once they find the right medication, they do very well and live perfectly normal lives."

"Everyone's going to know…"

"No one will know unless you tell them. We'll just take this one step at a time, Nicky, alright? Don't worry about the end game yet. Just worry about getting through right now."

Nicky nodded. Maybe he _could_ do this. This diagnosis made more sense than the ADHD one had, and at least _this_ doctor had bothered to talk to him before just blurting out the first diagnosis he thought of. Nicky tried to convince himself that everything would work out, but it was difficult to believe that.

"Okay," he said. "Fix me. I want to be okay, and I have no idea how to do that, so fix me."

The doctor smiled. "That's exactly what I'm going to try to do. It's going to take time, Nicky. Maybe a couple of weeks, maybe longer, but it will be worth it. Let's get started…"

 _ **KEITH**_

He was making out with Molly when his text message alert went off. It was Nicky's ring. Keith froze. He pulled away from Molly carefully before pulling out his phone.

"Is it Nicky?" Molly asked.

"Yeah…" He looked at the message. _I know I suck and you probably hate me now but please forgive me. I didn't mean what I said._

 _It's fine,_ Keith sent back quickly.

 _It's not. I was being an ass. Got a diagnosis._

Curiosity got the better of Keith. _What was it?_

 _Bipolar, rapid cycling between depressed, pissed, and just bat-shit crazy._

"Lucas was right," Keith told Molly. "They told him he's bipolar."

"I had a feeling he was," Molly said. She looked over his shoulder as he texted his brother.

 _Are you okay?_

 _Nope. But they say I will be. Eventually._

 _I love you bro. I'm sorry about everything._

 _Don't. I'm the one who's sorry. I love you, too._

Keith was relieved his brother had been diagnosed. He was also happy Nicky had reached out. It meant he didn't hate him. He needed to know that right now.

"Are you okay?" Molly asked Keith.

"I am now," Keith said.

"Good." She returned to kissing him, and knowing Nicky was getting treated by doctors who actually seemed to know what they were doing, Keith relaxed. Soon, he lost himself in Molly, forgetting everything else that was going on in the world. In that moment, all that mattered was Molly and how her lips felt against his and how her body felt as he touched her. He memorized every detail of her skin, and her face, and her hair, and the way she laughed as he caressed a tender spot. Right now, Molly _was_ his world. Nothing else existed, and he was completely okay with that. As long as he had her, he had everything he needed.


	37. Chapter 37

**CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN**

 _ **SIX WEEKS LATER...**_

 _ **DEAN**_

The heat between Dean and AJ was perfect. They'd been shooting promo after promo against each other, and Dean had made it clear he was coming for AJ's WWE World Heavyweight Championship. As expected, the fans had popped as soon as Dean cut his first promo, and they were cheering him left and right as he took out low-carder after low-carder. Nothing could stop him now.

This was the first Pay-Per-View event the company had held since the shooting. Most of the roster was back. The entire New Legacy stable had returned with the exception of Nicky, who was still in the hospital. Colby and Joe had gone back the second Dean did, unwilling to let him do it alone. Molly had immediately signed back on, so Keith and the others reluctantly followed, wanting to stay together. Ginny was still pretty skittish, but she never let it show until she was backstage. Her parents had insisted on returning with her. Randy had opted to stay away until he dealt with whatever demons were haunting his eyes lately, so Cody and Dean were taking turns keeping an eye on Keith. It wasn't hard to do, since Keith was nearly always with Molly these days.

The card wasn't half bad. Shane had done a decent job of putting it together. Dean was mildly impressed, given how thin the roster was. The opening match was a tag match consisting of Lucas and Gabe against the Prime Time Players. Then it was Cody against Colby, and they were both excited about it. The two hadn't worked a match together in over a decade. Joe had a match against Bray for no apparent reason, but no one minded because the other matches made more sense. Keith was wrestling John Cena. The fans were billing it as Cena vs Orton 2.0, but no one seemed to mind that it was happening even if it was hardly worth mentioning because of how often Randy had fought Cena. For the first main event, Molly was wrestling Nattie, and Dean knew it would be a great match. Age hadn't lessened Nattie's in-ring skills and he knew that unlike most of the girls, Nattie wouldn't need Molly to hold back. She could take whatever his offspring dished out. He was looking forward to watching the match almost as much as Molly was looking forward to being part of it. Dean was proud that Molly had one of the main events. What made it cooler was that he had the other.

The event was in New York. They'd all arrived the night before. Now, Dean stood backstage with everyone else. He was ready for this. He put everything else aside as they got ready to start the show.

 _ **TRIXIE**_

Danny was standing with her when Stephanie approached. "We need to add a match to the card," she informed them. "I think it should be a women's match. How would you like to have your first pay-per-view match today, Trixie?"

"Are you _serious?"_ Trixie asked in excitement.

"Absolutely. It's time."

"Sure! Who's it with?"

"Brie was kind enough to offer to take the match."

Trixie froze. "Brie? Stephanie, I'm not sure that's a good idea-"

"Oh, it'll be fine. She's a professional, and a veteran. You could learn a lot from her."

"Like what? How to sleep her way to the top? How to steal the moves of whoever she's screwing? She doesn't need to learn _anything_ from that bitch," Danny objected.

"Look, Trixie is the reason Brandon's not in New Legacy anymore. It makes perfect sense storyline-wise for Brie to seek revenge."

"Trixie's not the reason, _Brandon_ is. He's the one who hit her."

"This doesn't concern you, Danny."

"It sure as hell _does!_ I won't let that bitch touch her."

"Watch your tone, Mr. Huber, and your choice of words. I'm in charge here, and I need Trixie to do this."

"It's okay," Trixie said quickly. "I can handle Brie."

"She might go off-script, Trix," Danny protested.

"I'm a professional. This is part of my job."

"Exactly. I'm glad you understand," Stephanie said.

"I do... But Danny gets to be in my corner."

"What?"

"Danny gets to be in my corner, or I don't do this."

"Fine..."

"Who goes over?"

"You, of course. New Legacy almost always does. Anyway, you are on in ten minutes. Go get dressed. And congrats on your pay-per-view debut!"

Trixie looked at Danny. "It's a trap," Danny said.

"I know it is," Trixie said, "but I don't have a choice. That's why I insisted you be with me."

"I always am anyway. My character is your protector."

"And I'm your valet."

"Don't call yourself my valet. You're better than that."

"I've escorted you out for every one of your matches since I came back. I wrestle, but I _also_ valet, and there's nothing wrong with that. I'm not ashamed."

"I know... It's just, everyone swears my mom was nothing but a valet, and she did so much more. She was pretty badass on NXT. That Fandango gimmick is what ruined her reputation. And then she had me and she never bounced back from that." His eyes got that haunted look she often noticed in them.

Trixie looked at him. "You didn't ruin her life, Danny. You saved it."

"I ruined her career, though. Either way, forget it. This is about _you._ Are you _sure_ you want to do this?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm not going to let Brie scare me."

"You know she _genuinely_ hates you, right?"

"So be it. Nikki will probably be in her corner, too. I heard a rumor she's here today. Stephanie and Shane must have convinced her to come back."

"Yeah, because _that's_ what we need... More whores."

"Be nice. Nikki almost died. Cut her some slack."

"You're too forgiving. Molly needs to give you bitch lessons... Or Ginny. Ginny's like the queen bitch around here."

Trixie had reached her locker room, so she got changed quickly and met Danny outside. They barely made it to Gorilla before her music started. She bounced out to the ring with Danny walking beside her in a protective manner.

Brie's music started and she marched out to the ring. Nikki followed behind her. She looked nervous and like she was regretting her decision at first, but as soon as the camera hit her, she put on her biggest smile and walked in like she owned the place. She might not be Trixie's favorite person, but she was a professional, and the fans were going wild for her surprising return.

When the match began, Trixie knew something was wrong. Brie looked at her with venom in her eyes. She immediately attacked her hard, not giving Trixie even a moment to prepare herself. Trixie decided she wasn't going to take that. She began fighting back, using every trick she had to try and keep Brie at bay.

 _Mum's backstage,_ Trixie realized. If Brie tried anything too serious, Saraya would kill her. She had to keep this from getting out of hand. Trixie didn't even bother trying to figure out how to stop Molly from getting involved. She knew the second her best friend figure out this match was happening, she'd come running out. That was fine. New Legacy played the numbers game better than anyone. The crowd would expect no less.

Sure enough, Molly came running out about two minutes into the match. She immediately ran at Nikki, who had tried to interfere. Danny had been trying to stop her, but since WWE frowned on men hitting women, he couldn't do much.

Brie took the opportunity to pull Trixie's hair nearly out of her head and slam her head against the hard part of the mat. Trixie saw stars for a moment as Brie hissed out, "That's for my _son,_ you liar!"

Trixie was pissed off now. Brandon had hurt her, both emotionally and physically, and Brie was attacking her for the fact that his actions had gotten him fired? This was behavior she'd have expected from Nikki. Brie wasn't giving her room to breathe as she threw hit after hit at her. Trixie took a deep breath and waited for a brief opening before she threw a punch right at Brie's side. Brie actually cursed softly and stumbled away from her.

Nikki was down for a moment, so Molly rushed to Trixie's side. "Are you okay?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah, I'm good," Trixie said.

Molly gave her some space. Brie thought that meant she could attack again. Trixie was ready this time, and she dodged the first attempt, but then Brie climbed up on the ropes. Back on script, she declared, "Brie Mode" and jumped down. Trixie knew she should take the bump to make it look good, so she did. Brie intentionally came down with her knees bent and landed right on Trixie's chest. It knocked the wind out of her and Brie grabbed her by her hair and started to bash her head against the mat. Trixie let out a gasp of pain and struggled to find a way to free herself.

Danny tried to get to her and so did Molly, but someone beat them to it. Brie was ripped off her and Trixie looked up in confusion, wondering who else had run out. She expected to see her Mum, but instead, it was Nikki who stood over her.

 _I must be concussed,_ she thought. _There's no way that just happened._

"Enough!" Nikki shouted. "You're going too far, Brie!"

"What?" Brie demanded. "She got my son fired, Nicole!" The Bellas had apparently decided to say to hell with kayfabe, because this was definitely not how the match was supposed to go.

"Brandon got what he had coming. He hurt her. I saw the segment, and he even admitted to me he wasn't supposed to hit her, so yeah, they had to punish him. He's not even fired, just _suspended,_ Brie."

Molly and Danny knelt beside Trixie. "Trix, are you alright?" Danny asked.

"Yeah… My head hurts, but yeah," Trixie admitted.

"What the fuck is going on?" Molly asked.

"I think the Bellas just imploded," Danny said.

"You're his family! Why would you take _her_ side? You hate her!" Brie shouted.

"I barely _know_ her. I never gave her a chance, just like I never gave her mom one, but guess what? I was _wrong,_ Brianna." Nikki paused. The crowd was dead silent and confused, desperately trying to catch snippets of this conversation without the benefit of microphones.

"Nicole-"

"Her mother saved my life! My _life,_ Brie! All I ever did was torture her, but she _saved me._ It made me realize…" She shook her head. "I made all of the wrong choices, Brie. Every last one. I was a terrible person, and that led some guy to try to _kill_ me. He pointed that gun at my head. He pulled the trigger. And this girl's _mother_ is the one who saved me! So no, I'm not going to let you beat the crap out of her. She's a good kid, and she doesn't deserve it. Brandon was wrong. I love him, but he was." She was shaking. "I can't do this." She grabbed a microphone from ringside and said, "I want to thank all of you in the WWE Universe for your love and support over the years. You've been my family, and I love each and every one of you, but today… I'm announcing my retirement from professional wrestling. I won't be coming back anymore. This chapter of my life is finally over, and I'm ready for a fresh start. Thank you all!"

The fans began responding with a variety of reactions. Nikki was loved by some and hated by many others, but no one had expected this. Finally, the crowd settled on chanting, "Thank you Nikki!" Trixie watched as Nikki began to cry and put the microphone down.

"Tell your mother I'm sorry. Genuinely. And thank her for saving my life. Can you do that for me? Please?" Nikki asked her.

Stunned, Trixie nodded. "Yes," she said.

Nikki nodded. "Thank you. And I'm sorry for the shit I put you through. You didn't deserve any of it… Maybe one day, you'll even forgive me."

Molly mumbled something that sounded like "Fat chance," but Trixie did what she did best. She put the past aside.

When she hugged Nikki, the fans began chanting, "Yes!" and "Hug it out," unaware that this wasn't some scripted angle. Nikki stood stiffly, confused by Trixie's reaction.

"You're trying to be a better person. Do it. I believe you can change," Trixie said. "Good luck."

Nikki was too shocked to speak. She simply nodded and finally walked away as her entrance music began to play. Brie ran from the ring, either too embarrassed to stay or simply not sure how else to save the angle from there. Molly and Danny helped Trixie leave the ring and head backstage.

"Get a trainer," Molly said to Danny. "We need to make sure she's not concussed."

"I'm okay," Trixie insisted.

"It's better to be sure of that. I'll be right back," Danny said. He left to find her a trainer. Trixie was still stunned by what had happened, but she sincerely hoped it stuck and Nikki genuinely tried to become a better person.

 _ **CAYLA**_

She'd been home from the treatment center for nearly a week and was watching the pay-per-view from her couch. She hadn't expected to see Trixie, but she was glad her daughter was making her pay-per-view debut. Then she'd realized the Bellas were up to something. It had stunned her when Nikki turned on Brie and delivered a retirement speech.

When her phone rang, she knew it was her daughter. "Baby, I saw… Are you alright?" She asked.

"I'm fine, Mom. No concussion, just a small cut on my head. The trainer wants me to take it easy for a day or two, but it's nothing serious. Brie's all bark and no bite," Trixie said.

"She means all _bitch_ and no bite," Molly chimed in from nearby.

"Tell Molly hello," Cayla said. "Was any of that scripted?"

"Not very much of it. All I knew was I was supposed to go over. It was a last-second thing. And Brie had no idea Nikki was going to turn on her. I don't think Nikki planned to… But Mom… She apologized. To me, and to you, for everything she ever put you through. She's grateful you saved her life, and apparently, she's questioning every choice she's ever made because of it," Trixie said.

Cayla raised an eyebrow at that. Maybe one small amount of good had come from all of this after all. "I'm glad, Trixie… Just be careful, alright? Try not to overdo it."

"I will." Trixie paused. "How are you feeling?"

Cayla had expected the question. Trixie asked her that several times a day now. "I'm good," she said honestly. She'd worked through a lot of her emotions in treatment, and even though she was still devastated by the loss of Show, she wasn't blaming herself anymore. "And before you ask, yes, I've eaten today. Twice, actually."

"Mom, that's great!" Trixie declared. Cayla could hear the relief in her daughter's voice. She was relieved, too. She hadn't been sure she'd ever be able to get back to this point again.

"I love you, Baby. I'm proud of you. You did great today."

"I love you, too, Mom… I have to go, though."

"Go. We'll talk later." She hung up and returned to watching the pay-per-view, taking a bite out of the apple in front of her and relaxing now that she knew Trixie wasn't seriously hurt.

 _Nikki's being nice,_ she thought. _I bet you never expected that one, Show._ She often had conversations like this in her mind. After her mother had died, she'd believed the people you loved could hear you even after they were gone, and now she found it comforting to occasionally send thought to Show, too. She had a feeling that, wherever he was, he was laughing hard at this unexpected turn of events. That was how she liked to remember him; laughing and smiling, and full of joy. It had taken weeks, but she'd finally gotten to a place where that was what she saw when she thought of him, not the blood or the pain. She knew she was finally going to be okay.

 _ **MOLLY**_

Nattie was a great opponent, and Molly was ready for a fight after the shit Stephanie had pulled booking Trixie against Brie without telling anyone. The match was long, too, because it was a main event. They had a twenty-three minute slot, which was unheard of for a women's match.

For a while, they just threw tricks at each other. They each did their best known signatures and even tried some of their finishers. Nattie trapped her in the sharpshooter at least twice, but Molly got to the ropes the first time and actually managed to escape it the second time, kicking Nattie off of her. She slammed Nattie against the ring post and brought her knee against her stomach, hitting her hard. Nattie took several hits before she reversed it, flipping Molly around so she was against the post and beginning to chop her hard. Molly welcomed the chops. It felt like she was finally wrestling someone worthy of her time. She loved that she didn't have to hold back on Nattie out of fear of breaking her, and Nattie didn't hold back, either.

Finally, close to the end of the match, Molly pulled Nattie into the sharpshooter. Nattie nearly tapped out, but she made it to the rope after a long struggle and Molly had to let her go. That was when Nattie hit her with Dirty Deeds, something that shocked the fans. Molly went down for a two and a half count, but kicked out at the last second. She then climbed up on the ropes as Nattie stood throwing a fit and oblivious to the fact that she'd gotten up. She dove off of the rope onto Nattie, hitting a perfect hurricanrana. Nattie went down hard and Molly pinned her, picking up the win.

Nattie stood up after a minute and shook Molly's hand, then pulled her into a hug. The crowd cheered in appreciation of the sportsmanship. Nattie left, allowing Molly to have her moment as her music played. Keith ran out to meet her in the ring. "That was amazing!" He declared. "I'm so proud of you!" He pulled her into a kiss. It wasn't scripted and it took Molly's breath away with its intensity.

 _Somewhere, Creative is having heart failure,_ Molly thought with a laugh as she continued to kiss him. When he finally released her, she looked into his eyes and decided it was time to do something _else_ that wasn't scripted.

"I love you," she proclaimed. She didn't care who knew, or how scary the words were in this context. She'd said them before, but she'd never meant them quite like this. She kissed him again as the fans cheered, then led Keith backstage.

"Sorry," Keith said. "I got caught up… It was just so great to see you that happy, having a real match without having to hold back…"

"Don't apologize. That was one hell of a kiss," Molly said. She paused. "Keith… I know you and I never set any ground rules for what we are, because you respect that I'm not a monogamous creature, but… Well… With you, I don't think monogamy would be the worst thing in the world. I haven't been with anyone else since we decided to do whatever it is we're doing, and I realized… Well, I don't _want_ to be."

"What are you saying?" Keith asked.

"I want to be exclusive with you. I love you, Keith Orton. And I think I'm okay with that now."

Keith grinned and swept her into his arms for another kiss. As she lost herself in his embrace, Molly was certain she'd made the right decision.

 _ **SARAYA**_

She'd been backstage for the entire show with some of her new recruits, as well as Faye. It wasn't until Stephanie and Shane walked into the back room that she let her anger take control. "What the bloody hell were you _thinking,_ doing that to my daughter?" She demanded.

"Saraya, it was just a storyline-" Stephanie began.

"It was a terrible idea," Shane interrupted her. "I didn't know until it was already happening. And I'm sorry we put Trixie in that position, but she handled it beautifully. Thankfully, she had backup, and Nikki saved the entire segment… Although I'm sorry she retired. We were hoping she was okay to be back, and she went and retired publically without telling us first. Either way…"

"Way to throw your sis under the bus," Saraya said. "I approve."

"So, introduce us to your guests!" Shane said before Stephanie could respond.

She pointed to the girl with glasses and long, slightly frizzy dark brown hair that had random rainbow streaks in it. "Well, this is Kristy, the brightest little wrestler I've ever met. She's literally brilliant. Graduated high school at fifteen and college earlier this year, but she devotes all of her time to wrestling because of how much she loves this business."

"It's an honor to meet you," Kristy said. She shook their hands.

Saraya pointed to Faye and said, "You already know Faye. And this is Riley Archer." She pointed to the tall, athletically-built girl with long black hair and eyes that seemed to change color depending on the light.

"Hi," Riley said. To Stephanie, she added, "We met once before, when I was a kid."

"Riley's a newer wrestler. She started about a year ago, on her eighteenth birthday," Saraya explained. She hesitated before continuing. "And, well, _these_ two gentlemen are very special indeed…"

The twins turned around. Shane's jaw hit the floor. Stephanie looked like she was about to kill. "You did _not_ bring _them_ here!" She said.

"So you know who we are?" Scotty asked.

"Our reputation precedes us," Toby added.

"No, but I don't _need_ to know who you are. You're both the spitting image of your father," Stephanie said.

"Actually, they _are_ , but they have their mum's eyes," Saraya said.

Stephanie glared at her. "What are they _doing_ here?" She demanded.

"They're two of the best wrestlers in the world right now, and I figured we could use a shock for the fans… Come on, they finally stopped chanting CM Punk every time we showed up, and now they're going to get to see his sons!"

"This is-"

" _Wonderful_ , right? I mean, you _said_ I could do whatever I saw fit, Stephanie."

Stephanie looked like she had a retort, but Shane said, "You did agree to that. This is on you. I say we give the boys a chance. Nice to meet you… What are your names?"

"Scotty and Toby," Scotty said quickly.

"Right. Welcome."

Joe and Colby rushed by. "Dean's match is up next," Colby said. "Have you seen him?"

"He's in Gorilla already," Shane said.

"Great. Come on-" Joe began, but then he froze. Saraya followed his gaze to see what he was staring at and realized it was Riley. "Gracie?" He asked.

"I go by my middle name now, actually, so it's Riley, not Graciella," she said cooly. "And hi, Dad. Surprise?"

Joe looked like he might faint. "Baby… What are you _doing_ here?" He asked.

Saraya tried to wrap her head around this. He'd called her Gracie… Years ago, before his ex had left him, he'd had a daughter named Graciella. She wasn't around much because her mother hated the business, and when they'd broken up, she'd ripped Graciella away. They'd left the state and ultimately, the country, and even though Joe had desperately tried to track her down, he'd lost her. Graciella had only been six, so it was no wonder Saraya hadn't recognized her as an adult.

"I decided when I was a legal adult Mom couldn't stop me anymore, and I found my way back to you… I became a wrestler," Riley explained.

Joe pulled her into his arms and sobbed in a rather undignified manner. No one else was speaking, so Saraya felt the need to break up the silence. "Well, this is a nice shock," Saraya commented casually. "Anyone _else_ a Legacy who didn't tell me?"

"I'm still just a random nerd girl," Kristy reassured her.

Colby laughed. He'd taken Kristy under his wing just as Saraya had hoped, and the two hit it off like they'd known each other forever. It was cute seeing him have a little sidekick.

"You guys need to get out to Gorilla," Shane said suddenly. "Dean's match is on in a minute, and you're supposed to be in his corner."

Joe didn't seem to want to let go of his daughter. "I'll be here later," Riley promised. "I missed you, Dad."

"I missed you, too, Baby Girl," Joe said. He finally released her. "We'll catch up later."

As he left, Saraya looked at Stephanie and said, "I guess this means you won't have an issue with Riley being on the roster. It's apparently in her blood."

"Sorry I didn't tell you," Riley said. "I wasn't sure I wanted anyone to know."

"You're part of the Samoan dynasty. You could have gotten your golden ticket right away," Saraya said.

"I wanted to earn it… To prove myself."

"Well, you've done that." Saraya shook her head. Riley had been reluctant to sign on with NXT. She'd had to work to convince her it was a good idea. Now Saraya suspected it was because she'd been afraid of facing her father after all of those years.

 _Well, I wanted a good distraction,_ she thought. _NXT is turning out to be that and more._

 _ **DEAN**_

He saw the look on Joe's face and was immediately concerned. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing's wrong," Colby said. "He's just in shock. _Gracie's_ backstage! Apparently, she's one of Saraya's new recruits, but she goes by Riley now."

"Graciella's here? How? Are you okay, Joe?"

"I… Yeah, I'm fine… Stunned, but fine. She's… She's so big, Dean," Joe said. "She's all grown up." He was trying to clear away the last of his tears.

"We have to head out," Dean said as the music started. "Are you good or do you need to bail? I'm okay either way."

"I'm not missing this," Joe said. He took a deep breath and shifted into professional mode.

With his two best friends by his side, Dean headed out. AJ came out right after, holding the title high. The match began and Dean had to put everything out of his mind. It was hard, especially knowing Joe had just been reunited with the daughter who'd been ripped away from him so long ago, but he did it.

The match wasn't as great as he wanted it to be. It wasn't that he couldn't handle it, but Shane had insisted they not push him too hard. He'd beaten up the jobbers with ease, but AJ was a tougher opponent. Shane refused to risk Dean injuring himself. The match lasted twenty minutes, making it even shorter than the women's main event. It mostly went by in a blur as Dean and AJ hit each other with the signatures they were known for. Dean did a lot of street brawling, throwing wild hits in quick succession that AJ couldn't quite get out of. AJ hit him with his own crazy moves, and he even hit the Styles Clash, but Dean kicked out just in time. Dean retaliated with Air Lunatic, taking AJ down. Then he hit Dirty Deeds and it was all over. Dean pinned AJ clean and the crowd cheered wildly as he was announced the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion.

Colby and Joe stood by his side, celebrating with him. Molly ran out and joined them, and he realized he was on top of the world. It had been a crappy couple of months, but finally, things were starting to look up.

 _ **DANNY**_

After the pay-per-view, Danny decided to take Trixie by his house. He hadn't been to see his mother since they'd been in New York, and he knew she would want to see him. As he expected, she lit up when she opened the door. "Danny!" She said, hugging him.

"Hey, Mom… I just figured I'd swing by," Danny said. "Is it okay that I brought Trixie with me?"

His mother noticed Trixie then. "Of course! Come on in. Good to see you, sweetie! How's your mom?"

"Much better," Trixie said.

"I'm so glad. I was worried. Let me go put on something we can snack on."

Danny rolled his eyes as she hurried off to the kitchen. His mother wasn't exactly Holly Homemaker, but she was putting on a show for Trixie.

Suddenly, an unexpected issue came up. He was just looking at the floor when he started flashing back on his mother, bleeding on the ground, her wrists slit. He was shaking, unable to make the image disappear. That had happened in this house, and he hadn't been back here since Nicky's suicide attempt.

"Danny?" Trixie called gently. She touched his arm and he focused.

"Sorry… It's just… That's where she…" He decided not to finish the sentence.

He didn't have to. Trixie understood. "Oh, Danny… I'm sorry. I can imagine how hard that was for you… I mean… I get it, only it was my cousin."

"I'm fine," Danny insisted.

"You're upset. It's okay to be upset, Danny."

"Forget it." He still couldn't fully shake the memories.

Trixie stared into his eyes and he wondered what she saw there. It was like she could read his soul. Then, to his shock, Trixie kissed him. It wasn't a quick, chaste kiss either, but a passionate one he hadn't expected. Danny got caught up in it quickly, kissing her back hard and intensely, desperate to connect to her on this new level. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and she hesitated for only a moment before she slid hers into his.

 _Slow down,_ he scolded himself. _She's a virgin. She's probably never even kissed a guy like this before._ Trixie didn't try to stop him or pull away, but he somehow managed to control his impulses and slow things down before they went too far. He wanted to do more. He wanted to be his usual self and pull her into any room with a lock on the door so he could strip her and do the usual things he did with girls, but he didn't do it. He didn't care if Trixie never slept with him, as long as she let him stay by her side.

 _Holy shit,_ he thought as he realized how he felt. He had never been the type to wait for a girl. He wasn't his father. He was no rapist, and if a girl said no, he stopped, but that didn't mean he'd stick around. He tired of games quickly and if a girl didn't put out, she wasn't of much use to him. But Trixie… Trixie was different.

When he finally broke the kiss, Trixie was breathless. She smiled at him. "Wow," she whispered, her eyes wide.

"Yeah… Wow," Danny echoed.

"Are we…? I mean… Okay, I'm lame, so be patient with me… But what does that mean?"

"Whatever you want it to mean, Trixie."

"I…" She blushed and tried again. "I'd like it to mean we're together, Danny. Me and you… A couple."

Danny looked at her and said, "You deserve better, you know."

"You _are_ better." She kissed him again, a sweet, simple kiss this time. Then she said, "You're a good guy, Danny. One day, you'll admit it."

"You're crazy, Trixie. But… Well…" He sighed. He might as well put it all out there now. "You swear I'm a good guy, and I know I'm not, but sometimes, when you say it… I really wish it was true."

"Danny-"

"You make me want to be the person you swear that I am… And that's insane, because I've never cared what anyone thought before."

"That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever said to me."

"I don't understand it. You're not the type of girl I'd ever go for, but… I think… Fuck it. I think I'm in love with you."

Trixie looked stunned, and then incredibly happy. "That's okay," she said. "I think I feel the same way about you." She kissed him again, and for a minute, he forgot where they were.

Only when his mother's voice interrupted did he remember. "Oh! Sorry! I… I can come back?" She asked with a laugh.

"Sorry, Mom," Danny said quickly as Trixie started blushing harder.

"Danny, you _finally_ brought home a _nice_ girl! I'm so proud of you!"

"Mom, stop!" He was slightly mortified, but he couldn't care for long. Looking at Trixie and realizing she'd just somehow become his girlfriend, he was too happy to focus on much else. That was an unfamiliar sensation for him, but the more time he spent with her, the more he was getting used to it.

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ _We're getting very close to the end of this fic! And in case you were wondering with all of the new characters coming in, yes, I recently began planning one final sequel, making this a trilogy. I hope to post the end of this fic very soon.(There will probably only be a couple more chapters.) Thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing so far. I appreciate it so much more than you know!_


	38. Chapter 38

**CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT**

 _ **THREE WEEKS LATER...**_

 _ **CORRI**_

Randy was sitting by her side as she waited for feedback from Brett. Her husband held her hand while she wondered if she would hear the words she hoped to.

"You've made amazing progress, Corri," Brett said. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm good," Corri said honestly. "Ready to kick some ass and take some names."

"Do you want a drink?"

"Maybe a soda," she said with a grin. "No booze, no drugs... I'm not even tempted."

"That's great! And...?"

Corri took a deep breath. "And what happened is not my fault. It was horrible, and tragic, and fucked-up, but at the end of the day, I did what I thought was the right thing for the kid and his actions aren't my fault..." She knew it was true, even though it was hard to admit.

"And Nicky?"

"Is _also_ not my fault, but that one's harder. Addiction is genetic... But I got the gene from my father, so I'm choosing to blame Santa's Favorite Elf."

"You're using the elf story. Good. That's a clear sign you're feeling more like yourself." He smiled. "You're ready, Corri. You're always welcome at meetings, but you don't have to come daily anymore unless you want to."

Corri smiled. "About damn time. Not that I don't love you guys, but I've had enough rehab for a while."

"Good luck to you, Corri."

"I'm proud of you, Corrinne," Randy said softly as they left the building together.

"You and the boys are three _very_ good reasons to stay sober... Not to mention my desire to be nothing like that elf bastard," Corri said. "Now, to get back to work..."

"Are you sure you're ready?"

"I'm _bored._ I love my job. It's time, Randy. I have to get back on the horse."

He nodded. "You're stronger than me."

"You'll go back eventually."

"It's not even the PTSD anymore... I'm dealing with that. I think, given a little more time, I'll be okay to stop therapy all together... I just don't know that I want to go back..."

"You'd make a _killing_ on the indies," Corri teased him. "If you're willing to get your hands dirty, Legacy."

He laughed. "My father would roll over in his grave... That's almost motivation to do it. But no, I'm a WWE guy."

"Scared?" She smirked at him.

He laughed. "Damn right. Those indy people are _nuts!"_

"Yep. They produced _me."_

Randy pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "I love you, Corri."

"I love you, too, Sexy." She kissed him again. She'd been planning to rip off the band-aid and go back to work right away, but that was changing now. _Tomorrow,_ she decided. _I'll go back tomorrow._ For now, all she wanted was to go home with her husband and spend the day in his arms.

 _ **NICKY**_

He sat nervously in his session. The doctor smiled at him. "You're doing great, Nicky," he said. "No drastic mood changes, no extreme highs or extreme lows in nearly a month... This new medication is definitely doing the trick. I feel comfortable saying we can release you."

Nicky blinked at him in shock. He'd thought he would _never_ be released from the psych ward. "Really?" He asked.

"Really. I'm signing the papers for a twenty-four hour observation period. If you haven't had a recurrence at the end of that, you'll be released."

"I can go home?"

"Yes, Nicky. I believe that you're ready. Just remember, you need to stay on your medications. Follow the dosage instructions _exactly_ and you'll be fine."

He was stunned. The first thing he did when he was alone was text Keith. _I'm getting out tomorrow._

Keith replied almost immediately with, _Finally! We'll be there._

 _Who's we?_ Nicky sent back.

 _Me, the parents, Molly if it's okay with you, and Bucks._

Nicky knew his Godfathers had stuck around not only to help Corri, but to be there for him. He also knew they'd be happier when they went back to work. Maybe now they would feel it was okay to leave.

 _Of course Molly can come. She's family,_ Nicky sent back.

 _Speaking of, Alanna's in town._

Nicky groaned. Alanna had told him she was going to come visit soon, but he hadn't known when. She was still upset at what he'd done. She'd been telling him he'd been a "bad Squish-Face," but he hadn't had to face her in person yet. She wasn't really mad at him, though. She was mad at their father for not telling her immediately. She'd barely spoken to him since finding out. Nicky hoped that would change once he got out.

Deciding he needed a distraction from the stress of seeing his sister, Nicky Face Timed Lucas. He answered quickly, and offered a huge smile as soon as he saw Nicky.

"Hey! How are you?" Lucas asked.

"I'm good," Nicky said, relaxing. He'd Face Timed Lucas every single day since he'd been admitted. It helped to talk to him and the two had gotten very close over the last several weeks. "They're probably letting me out tomorrow."

"Seriously? Nicky, that's _great!_ I'm so happy for you!"

"Me, too... I mean, it's been okay here... I've just talked and rested and done schoolwork because I have so much time to kill, but... It gets lonely."

"I know. I'm really glad you're getting out... Are you coming back to work?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I think I want to at least start training again. I miss physical activity... It's hard to just sit around all day."

"I could help you train. I mean, if you want... You'll be back on track in no time."

"I'd like that." He smiled. "Where are you guys this week?"

"Back in Florida, actually. There are still a lot of legal issues, so Shane and Stephanie have to be here, and they keep bringing us back so anyone who needs to testify or give statements or whatever can."

"So you're close!"

"Yeah. I was planning to visit tomorrow and surprise you. We just got in today."

"My family's kidnapping me tomorrow... But we could meet up after."

"Great. Just call me. I'll be there."

"Lucas, come on, bro! We're meeting the JV Squad for dinner," Nicky heard Gabe call.

"JV Squad?" Nicky asked.

"Saraya's NXT recruits. Since most of them are legacies, we're taking them under our wing," Lucas explained.

"That's nice of you."

"With the exception of Kristy, they're probably our future stablemates."

"So you're leaving her out?"

"Of course not. She's awesome, and she's their friend. It would be rude to exclude her." Lucas paused. "If you need me, I could put it off-"

"No. I'm okay, Lucas... I'll see you tomorrow."

Lucas smiled. "See you then, Nicky."

They ended the call. Nicky decided to focus on his freedom and that fact that he would be seeing his friends soon. _You just have to get through a few more hours,_ he told himself. He was determined to do it.

 _ **KEITH**_

When Keith walked toward his car, he froze. There was a giant, unbroken wall of bricks in a circle around his rental. He looked at Molly in confusion. "What the fuck?" He asked aloud.

Molly looked equally confused. "I don't know," she admitted.

Keith examined the first brick. It had something written on it. _Be my valentine!_ He raised an eyebrow at Molly. The next brick he removed _also_ had a message. _You can DO it!_ This was followed by, _I believe in you_ and _All you have to do is BO-lieve!_

Molly started laughing hysterically. "He did it again!" She declared.

"Son of a bitch!" Keith shouted. "Goddamnit, Gabe! I'm going to _kill_ him! This is going to take me forever to break up so I can get my car out." Because the bricks were right on top of his car, he had to be extremely careful to avoid scratching it. That meant each brick had to be carefully removed one at a time.

"You have to admit, he's _really_ good at this," Molly said. She began helping Keith pull away bricks, reading the messages off to him as she did. He lost count of the bricks after a while. Every single one had something silly or cliche written on it. Some were connected, telling very lame jokes when put together. Halfway through, an entire row of bricks had the lyrics to _Livin' on a Prayer._ The _oh, you're halfway there_ brick made Keith curse.

They finally got to the bottom. Keith looked at the last two bricks. The first read _I'm sorry._ The second read _I love you._

That did it. Keith burst out laughing at the Shawn Michaels/Ric Flair reference, and once he started, he couldn't stop.

"Holy shit," he said. "He's better at this than _I_ am! I surrender!"

Gabe showed himself then. He was laughing. "Is that official?" He asked.

"You beat me, bro," Keith said. "I have been dethroned."

Gabe opened his arms and asked, "Hug it out?"

Laughing, Keith hugged him. "And, as an apology, both of your dinners are on me," Gabe said. "We'd better hurry up, or we'll be late to meet the JV Squad. I sent Lucas on ahead in case you took longer than I expected."

Together, they piled into Keith's newly freed rental and headed to the restaurant. Keith decided then and there that Gabe had earned best friend status for life. No one had _ever_ beaten him in a prank war before, and Gabe seemed to know when Keith needed to laugh the most.

 _ **DANNY**_

Danny was _not_ the babysitting type. "Trixie, do we really _have_ to do this tonight?" He asked.

"Everyone's going, Danny," Trixie reminded him.

"I'm just not really interested in playing nice with a bunch of toddlers."

Trixie laughed. "Every single one of them is older than _I_ am," she reminded him. "Even Kristy and Faye are a couple of months older."

"But they're on NXT. That makes them toddlers. _You're_ on the main roster."

"Purely because of the Legacy angle. All of them have more official training than I do. The twins are your age and have been wrestling since they were seventeen. That's a good three years."

"I don't play well with others."

"You play just fine with _me._ Come on, Danny. They're the future New Legacy members."

"We don't know that. And isn't one of them just some random girl? What is she, their mascot?"

"Be nice. Kristy's awesome."

"I guess we could bill her as Rollins' kid. She acts just like him." He sighed. "I just don't see why I have to be there. No one wants me scaring off the new blood."

"You're awesome, and you're part of this family, and _I_ want you there." Trixie finished fixing her hair and turned around. "How do I look?" She asked.

Danny forgot why he was protesting as he looked at her. "Beautiful," he told her. "You look beautiful."

Trixie blushed slightly. "You look great, too," she said. She ran her hand through his hair and smiled at him.

"I'm in jeans and a t-shirt. Nothing special."

"Well, that leather jacket brings the outfit together... You look _hot,_ Danny." She laughed as she added, "Though who wears a leather jacket in Florida? It's warm out."

"It's his security blanket," Ginny teased from the doorway. "It lets the world know he's big, bad, and tough. Right?"

"It's _not_ a security blanket. As for the rest? You're damn right I am," Danny replied. Things were still awkward between him and Ginny sometimes, but they were both trying, and they were slowly becoming friends. When she wasn't being a complete bitch, Danny kind of liked Ginny. She was dark and twisted, just like him. He got the impression that when _he_ wasn't being a total asshole, she kind of liked him, too.

"We're going to be late if you two don't hurry up," Ginny said. "Are you ready?"

"No. But I'm going anyway," Danny said.

Together, they left for the restaurant.

 _ **MOLLY**_

The baby legacies were gathered at the restaurant already, along with Lucas, Ginny, Trixie, and Danny. "Molly!" The twins shouted in unison. They'd worked on the indies with her.

Scotty went in for a kiss, but Molly gave him her cheek instead of her lips. "Sorry, boys, I'm a taken woman now," she said.

"I will lay awake at night weeping over this," Scotty informed her dramatically.

"Keith is a lucky man," Toby added.

"I certainly am," Keith agreed.

They sat down to eat, making easy small talk. Riley latched on to Molly. They'd been friends as children, but it had been a long time since they'd been in touch. It seemed they were still easy friends. _It's in our blood,_ Molly thought. _We're both Shield offspring. We were destined to be friends._

Her phone began to ring. Molly saw it was Dillon. She excused herself so she could answer it. "Hey," she greeted him.

"Mom's in jail," Dillon blurted out.

Molly froze in confusion. "What happened?" She asked.

"Sellie went for the maximum punishment. Not only did Mom lose custody of us, but she's been convicted on a bunch of charges... Child abuse, neglect, endangering the welfare of a minor... All of it. She'll be in jail for a long time."

"Good. The bitch deserves to rot."

"I'll be a legal adult before she gets out, but just in case Randi isn't, Sellie made sure she can't ever get custody back."

"I'm glad... Are you okay?"

"I think I am. My father's taking me home with him...I'm a little nervous."

"You'll be fine. Mark's great. How's Randi?"

"She's good. She's excited Trinity and Johnny are taking her home." He paused. "Trinity's really latched on to her. She wasn't feeling well one night, and Trinity comforted her and put her to bed, and Randi slipped and called her mommy. After that, Trinity told her it was okay, so she's been calling her that ever since. In the last couple of months, she's been more of a mother to Randi than our actual mom ever was."

It made Molly happy to think Randi had finally found a safe, loving home. "She deserves that," she said. "You _both_ do."

"I like my dad. He's pretty awesome. And I am slowly getting to know my siblings and Michelle. I'm not about to call her mom, but she's not so bad."

"I'm glad you guys are doing well."

"Thanks to you." He paused. "I have to go, but I wanted you to know what was going on."

"I appreciate that. Call me anytime, Dillon."

"Okay." He hesitated again. "I love you, Molly."

She was surprised. They'd never hit the mushy point before, but this was her little brother, and she'd definitely gotten attached to the kid. "Love you, too, Dill," she said truthfully. Her reunion with the egg donor had been awful, but she'd gained two siblings out of it, and they were worth the rest of the crap.

 _ **CORRI**_

The following morning, Corri headed back to NXT. Paul was with her. "Are you ready?" He asked her.

"Definitely. Are _you?"_ She asked.

"I think so."

"Let's do this, Paul. It's time to get back on track."

Together, they walked into the Performance Center. The last time Corri had been here, everything had been different, but it still felt like she was coming home. She and Paul looked at Saraya's circle of performers. Corri recognized some of them. Faye squeeled and ran to her as she spotted her.

"You're back!" She shrieked.

"Am I forgotten already?" Saraya teased.

"Sorry... I'm just excited," Faye said.

"I missed you, too, Faye," Corri said. She hugged her and then sent her back to training.

"Oh, sweet God," Paul mumbled as he spotted the twins in the ring with two of the few NXT kids who had stuck around. "Those are Punk's boys, _aren't_ they?"

"Indeed they are," Saraya said.

"Damn, you've got balls!" Corri said with a laugh. "Nice one."

Paul paused thoughtfully as he watched them. "They're actually _really_ good," he admitted. "Good choice, Saraya. Who else did you recruit?"

Corri was stunned Paul had just accepted the twins like that. CM Punk had been banned from mention forever. She'd expected Paul to physically throw the twins out himself. Saraya seemed to be thinking the same thing.

Saraya finally recovered enough to answer him. "It's a very small roster with all the people who quit, but we had maybe eight who stayed, and I brought in the twins, Riley, and Kristy. Riley, as it turns out, is little Gracie, Joe's daughter, which I had no idea about. She's got that Samoan athleticism in spades, and she's phenomenal for someone who's only been training for a year. Kristy's got speed and flying skills for days, and she's adorable. The indy fans love her, and I know our fans will, too."

"That's a great start, Saraya. I think we need a few more new recruits, but... Well, in light of things..."

"I can get people. I just wanted to start small, especially since I brought contraband in." Saraya pointed to the twins.

Corri laughed. "I've seen their indy work. They're great," she said. "As good as their parents... Maybe better."

"Are you sure anyone will be willing to come to NXT now?" Paul asked.

"WWE is _still_ WWE. One bad egg won't destroy it. Look at Benoit," Saraya said. "Oops! I'm sorry. That person never existed."

"Like Hogan," Corri said.

"Or Punk. Oh, wait, did I just blow that by bringing in the sons of someone who never existed?"

Paul paused. "That changes now," he said suddenly.

"What?" Corri asked in confusion. He couldm't mean what she thought he meant.

"The way we try to make people vanish from existence to make ourselves look better. They were people. They were _our_ people... And we failed them." He shook his head. "Every single person who comes through here is one of _our_ people. Every superstar, every announcer, every local jobber, every fan, every idiot who's taken too many bad bumps or done too many drugs... Every Boot Camper... Jordy." It looked like he had trouble saying his name, but he managed to get it out. "Jordy, Benoit, Hogan, Punk... They were _all_ a part of our history, and erasing them to make ourselves look better is wrong on _so_ many levels." He shook his head. "It ends now. From now on, we own our mistakes. And we _learn_ from them. We need to make sure that every single employee of this company has access to mental health help. No one should be afraid to ask for help, and not just some drug pusher... What happened to Nicky is _our_ fault. I will _not_ let it happen to anyone else." He looked at Corri. "I'm so sorry, Corri. I made so many bad choices for him... I took away his choices about school and training and when he should debut... And I was wrong. I really _am_ sorry for his pain."

Corri was stunned. She looked at Paul and tried to think of something to say, but she had no words. The last thing she'd ever expected from Paul Levesque was an apology. She simply nodded.

"So, everyone has mental health resources and no one has to fear losing their job if they need time off to take care of themselves. And we stop removing people from our history... And put the people we _did_ remove back. That's where we start. Things are going to change around here."

Corri believed him. She'd never seen him so determined. "Saraya's good for change," she said.

"I agree. I hope you'll stay on, Saraya. NXT needs you," Paul said.

Saraya smiled. "I'm in it for the long haul. Wild horses couldn't drag me away," she said.

"Well, show us what the kids have got," Corri said. "But I have to leave at two... My baby's coming home today."

Saraya hugged her. "Can Cay and I tag along? I know Trixie's going to go with Keith and Molly," she said.

"Of course," Corri said. "He needs his family right now."

"He's got us."

Corri nodded, hoping Nicky would feel loved and be happy to see everyone. It had been so hard knowing her baby was in a psychiatric ward struggling to get well, but she was proud of the progress he'd made. She was also relieved he was finally coming home.

 _ **NICKY**_

He'd made it through his last session. He was cleared to go home. And he was absolutely terrified. "What if I can't handle being out there?" Nicky asked.

"Nicky, I promise you're going to be fine," the doctor said confidently. "You'll be continuing treatment out-patient, and as long as you stick to your medication schedule, you shouldn't have any issues. You have my number in case of an emergency."

Nicky tried to relax. As he tentatively took his first steps toward freedom, he was nearly knocked over by Alanna. "Squish-Face!" She shrieked as she hugged him. "Thank God..." She whispered into his hair. "Thank God you're alright..."

He'd expected anger, but it seemed Alanna was too relieved to see him alive to be angry anymore. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

"Shhh... There's no need for that. You were sick. Would you apologize to me if you'd had appendicitis?"

"No, but-"

"It's the same thing, Nicky..." She used his real name so infrequently, he was slightly shocked to hear it. "You couldn't control this because you were sick. Now you're doing something so you don't get sick again. That's what's important."

"She's right," his father said as he took over hugging him.

"Of _course_ I am," Alanna said as if there were no other possibility.

"Baby..." His mother whispered. She pulled him into her arms.

Nicky almost started to cry. "I never meant to hurt you, Mom," he said.

"You didn't, Baby," she insisted. "You scared the hell out of me, but you didn't do it to hurt me and I never took it that way."

"You ended up in rehab..."

"That wasn't your fault. There were a lot of factors. What happened with you made me realize I needed extra help, but I was already there. I'm okay now, Baby. I didn't break my sobriety, and I'm doing much better now."

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too, Baby."

He hugged the Bucks and his aunts, and he hugged Trixie even tighter because he knew she needed it. He'd broken something in Trixie and he would always be sorry for that, even if she'd forgiven him.

Molly was next. She whispered in his ear, "I'm sorry for my part in breaking you, Nicky... I love you."

"You didn't do anything wrong," he whispered back.

"I took your virginity and then broke your heart... I'm a monster."

He pulled back and led her to the side so they could talk. The others gave them their space. Nicky hated seeing Molly look so lost and vulnerable. He looked into her eyes. "No, you're not," he said. "You're my best friend. You were always honest with me. I just have issues, and I took it out on Keith... Unfairly. I know you love me, and I love you, too. I never blamed you, Molly. None of this is your fault. I... I was really screwed up in the head, but that's _not_ because of you. Not even a little bit. You _saved_ me, Molly. You were there for me when no one else was. You and Lucas realized I wasn't okay, and even in the middle if all your own crap, you took the time to take care of me... To make me realize I had a problem, and to get me through it. You detoxed me. You stayed with me while I screamed, and panicked, and fell apart, and you and Lucas and Keith were the ones desperately trying to put me back together."

"And then you..." Molly looked away. "You said you were okay, then you tried to... Nicky, you almost _died!"_ She started to cry. "I almost lost you! I had to watch them take you out on a stretcher and hope you were going to make it... All while holding it together because Keith broke, and Trixie broke, and the only other person keeping it together was _Danny_ of all people... You were dying, and my other two best friends were broken, and I didn't know what to do..."

Nicky pulled her into his arms. "Molly, I am _so_ sorry. I know I screwed up. I know I hurt all of you... I didn't know what to do. I thought you'd all be better off, that no one needed me... But I see now that I was wrong. And I really hope you can forgive me."

Molly calmed herself down. "I'm not mad, Nicky. I was terrified, and I kept that all in, but I'm not mad at you. I should have called your parents as soon as I saw how bad things were. You needed help, but I convinced myself we could do it on our own. That was really stupid of me."

"You were trying to do what I asked. You were being a good friend."

"I was being an idiot. I'm older-"

"Barely. You're only a year older than I am."

"But I'm more mature. And I knew better..."

"Stop it. I was sick, Molly. And you did everything you could for me. I love you. So stop blaming yourself."

"I'll try... But it's hard."

"I know." He hugged her again.

Now that Molly was calmer, Nicky walked back to the others and faced his brother. Keith had come to see him twice with Molly since their fight, but it had been a few weeks. They'd texted each other every few days, but facing him was different. Keith had walked on eggshells when he'd visited him, but now Nicky was ready to face the consequences of his actions.

"Nick..." Keith said. He hugged him. So many hugs at once made him feel like they were playing _Pass the Nicky,_ but it wasn't so bad.

"I'm sorry, Keith," Nicky said. "For everything."

"I know you are. So am I."

"Are you mad?"

"No. I was hurt, but I wasn't mad. You have a right to your feelings."

"But you've done so much for me..."

"We're brothers, Nicky. We fight and we get jealous of each other. It's what siblings _do._ But at the end of the day, I am _always_ going to have your back, just like I know you have mine."

"I do. Really."

"I never doubted it."

Nicky relaxed after that. His family took him home, and they stayed for a while, but slowly, everyone started to leave. He grabbed Trixie before she could go. "Are you still hanging out with Danny?" He asked.

"Yeah," Trixie said. "You could say that..." She looked at her shoes.

"Meaning...?"

"We're sort of... um... _dating."_ She raised her eyes slowly, looking at him nervously.

Nicky was surprised, but not as much as he should be. "Then why isn't he here?" He asked.

"He didn't think it was his place. I told him he should come, but... He didn't want you to be uncomfortable."

"He saved my life. I literally wouldn't be here if he hadn't reacted... He should have come. He deserves to be here today... Will you... Will you thank him for me?"

"Of course I will." She hugged him.

"I love you, Trix."

"I love you, too. I'll see you soon, Nicky."

When everyone but his parents had left, Nicky asked, "Is it okay if I go out for a little while?"

"Baby, I don't know if that's a good idea," his mother said. "You've had a long day."

"I'm okay. I just want to go see Lucas for a bit."

His father considered this. "Lucas is a good kid," he said to his mother. "And he's been stuck in that hospital for weeks..."

"I know Lucas is a good kid. _I_ trained Baby Bo, remember?" She laughed. "Alright, you can go, but text me when you get there, and either have Lucas bring you home or have one of us come get you."

"Thanks, Mom." He hugged both of his parents before leaving. He walked to the hotel, enjoying feeling the air on his skin. This was the first time he'd been alone and unmonitored since he'd slit his wrists. It was strange, and a little bit scary, but he needed to learn to trust himself as much as everyone else needed to relearn to trust him.

Lucas smiled when he opened his hotel room door. "You didn't tell me you were on your way!" He said, giving Nicky a hug. He led him inside. "How are you feeling? Did everything go okay with your family?"

"It went better than I expected it to," Nicky admitted.

"So, how do we celebrate your release?"

"Actually, I was hoping we could dance..."

Lucas grinned. "Already trying to win Molly's heart again, huh? Come on, let's see what you remember." He put on his 80's playlist and started dancing. Nicky joined in, easily falling into step with him. "Hey, you've gotten better!" Lucas said with surprise.

"I had time to practice," Nicky said with a slight laugh. "There's not much to do in a psych ward, and Dad brought me my iPod, so I had the music..."

"You're going to be better than _me_ soon!"

"I doubt that very much." Nicky was laughing harder at that. "It's nice of you to say, though."

They danced for another minute before Lucas said, "Molly's _definitely_ going to be impressed now!"

"Molly's not the one I'm trying to impress anymore," Nicky said.

"Wait, what do you mean?"

Nicky decided it was now or never. He pulled Lucas into his arms and kissed him. He had never kissed a boy before... but he _really_ liked it. Especially when Lucas started to kiss him back.

When Nicky broke up the kiss, Lucas looked worried. "Nicky... Are you okay? I mean... You're not...?"

"I'm not manic," Nicky promised. "For the first time in a while, I'm thinking _clearly,_ Lucas... When you spend time in a psych ward, you have a _lot_ of time to think... And I realized that Molly was what I thought I was _supposed_ to want. She's gorgeous, and she's my best friend, but I've never paid much attention to girls before... So when we... Well, let's just say that we shared an experience together... And I told myself I must be in love with her, because I enjoyed it and she means the world to me. And then the karaoke night happened, and I watched her fall for my brother, and I felt like she was just one more person who wanted Keith and didn't care about me... I told myself I had to win her back, which is ridiculous because she's not a trophy... But I was broken, and I felt better around her. So I asked you to help me learn to dance, and that was going great... And I started really looking forward to spending time with you... And I didn't understand it, because it had never occurred to me that being gay was a possibility for me, but in the hospital, I realized that all I wanted was to talk to you, and see you, and be around you again... Our nightly talks got me through the darkest times while I was there... And I realized everything I'd been telling myself I felt for Molly, I actually felt for _you_ , and all I wanted to do was kiss you..." He took a deep breath. "So, no, I'm not manic... But I understand if you don't feel the same way about me."

Lucas looked at him for a moment before saying, "I never thought you felt the same way..." He kissed him, and Nicky felt a shock go through his system. _This_ was right. This was what he'd been looking for all along.

"I love you, Lucas," Nicky said shyly. "In case my rambling wasn't clear."

Lucas looked at him with a look he'd never seen in anyone's eyes before, at least not one meant for him. "I love you, too, Nicky," he said.

Maybe falling in love with another man wasn't what Orton men were supposed to do, but for once in his life, Nicky was ready to stop worrying about what Ortons were _supposed_ to do and start doing what his heart told him to.

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ _Only one chapter left!_


	39. Epilogue

**CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE: EPILOGUE**

 _ **SIX MONTHS LATER...**_

 _ **CAYLA**_

Everything was falling into place. Cayla was nervous, but in a good way. Fred and Thaddeus were running around like chickens without heads trying to finish setting up the last of the equipment while Trixie and Danny finished decorating. Cayla watched as Trixie tried to get on a ladder and Danny stopped her.

"No way. You'll probably fall," he teased her.

"So? I know you'd catch me," Trixie replied. She gave him a quick kiss on his lips.

Fred raised an eyebrow at that. "I still can't get used to the two of them together," he admitted to Cayla.

"He's good for her, Fred. He takes care of her," Cayla said. "And more importantly, he makes her happy."

Fred nodded. "That's all that matters."

Corri and Randy were carrying in food. Keith and Molly had the drinks. Nicky came in with Lucas by his side. They had some of the emergency medical supplies. Cayla smiled as she watched the two of them steal glimpses at each other when they thought no one was looking. Nicky had confided in her about their relationship, but he was refusing to tell anyone else. Seeing him smile as the two of them worked together, Cayla knew Lucas was exactly what Nicky needed, and she hoped they'd tell everyone else soon. Still, if anyone understood the importance of coming out of your own terms, it was Cayla. She'd kept their romance a secret, even from Corri. She suspected her sister already knew anyway.

Cayla heard Ginny burst out laughing from nearby and looked up to see why. Gabe had arrived, and he wore a giant bunny rabbit costume. Behind him stood Saraya and Corri's NXT kids, all dressed in costumes of their own. Saraya looked very impressed with herself as she appeared from behind them.

"They look great, right?" She asked.

"They do," Cayla confirmed, giving her a kiss.

"Cayla?" Paul called as he joined them along with Stephanie and Shane. He looked around in amazement. "The place looks _great!"_

"I'm impressed," Stephanie admitted.

"And the PR can't hurt," Shane added. "You did a great job."

Dean, Colby, and Joe rushed inside. "Are we ready to open the doors?" Joe asked.

"We're good to go," Cayla confirmed as the last of the room was set up.

"This is going to be _awesome,"_ Colby said excitedly.

"Where's the midget?" Dean asked suddenly.

"Did you misplace my cousin _again?"_ Joe demanded.

"It's not my fault the kid's a frigging _ninja!_ This is what I get for letting her come in and hang out before the other kids." He looked at Cayla. "Where would a small person hide in here?"

Cayla looked at him with an indulgent smile. "Randi, sweetheart, come here for a second," she called.

That didn't work. Dean grabbed Molly. "Offspring, the midget vanished again."

Molly laughed and rolled her eyes. She pulled up the ring apron and stuck her head underneath the ring that had been set up in the middle of the room. "Come on out, Kid," she said.

Ten seconds later, Randi crawled out from beneath the ring. "It's _so_ cool under there!" She exclaimed. "No wonder Hornswoggle lived down there!"

Molly laughed and picked her sister up, putting her on her shoulders. "Quit running off on the Sire," she said. "He hasn't had to chase a tiny person in several years."

"Let's get those doors open," Saraya said to Cayla.

Cayla nodded and personally opened the doors. She greeted every single child and their parents with a bright smile. The costumed wrestlers escorted them into the room. When everyone was inside, Cayla took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Hi everyone!" She greeted them. "And welcome to the very first clinic session of _It's the Big Show._ As you probably know, I'm Cayla Casey. Today, I stand here with my family and friends to take you all on a journey. As some of you know, my friend Big Show was born with some serious medical conditions that could have prevented him from living his dream, but he never gave up. I know all of you have obstacles you face. Some of you are really sick. Others have developmental challenges that make everyday life a little bit harder for you than it is for other kids. I want you all to know that there are _no_ weirdos or freaks here. You're not sick kids or special needs kids... You're just _kids._ I started this clinic to honor my friend, and to give kids like him a chance to experience what it's like to be a WWE wrestler in a safe and fun environment. Every clinic will give kids a chance to train with real WWE wrestlers."

She'd worked hard to find trainers who specialized in working with sick and handicapped children. They were teaming up with the wrestlers to engage the children in anything they could handle. Thanks to generous donations from several superstars past and present, as well as from Paul, Stephanie, and Shane, Cayla had ensured the children and their families didn't have to pay a penny for anything. She partnered with Make-A-Wish to find some of the kids and let children who were healthier but still in need apply online. She'd insisted Johnny bring Randi because she knew the girl wanted to grow up to wrestle but her Van Willebrand's might make it hard for her to achieve her dream. Cayla intended to run a weekend-long clinic once every month, but she'd wanted to make sure Randi got to be there for the first one.

Show had loved kids and Cayla knew this was the perfect way to honor his memory. Seeing the kids smiling and laughing as they got to spend time with the wrestlers, Cayla hoped he was watching. She wiped away a single tear before joining the others with the kids.

 _ **SARAYA**_

A week after Cayla's clinic ended, everyone was in Iowa for a pay-per-view. Since it was Kristy's hometown, Saraya had decided to bring her inner circle to the show. Paul had agreed to let Kristy and Riley have a dark match against Ginny and Faye before the pre-show. That had gone wonderfully, and now Kristy, Faye, and Riley were bouncing off the walls backstage.

Colby and Joe were with them. Saraya watched as Joe held his daughter, looking more proud than he'd ever been before.

"Did you see it?" Kristy asked excitedly.

"I did! It was _perfect!_ A thing of absolute beauty! In fact, it was a better Phoenix Splash than _I've_ ever done!" Colby said, just as excitedly. He hugged her tightly.

"You two are adorable," Saraya said.

"She's like his clone," Molly remarked as she and Dean joined them.

That was when Saraya spotted a startled-looking woman approaching them. "Oh, God! How did you find out? Look, I can explain-" She said.

"Mom? What's wrong?" Kristy asked. She looked at her in alarm.

"Hannah?" Colby asked. "Oh my God, what are you _doing_ here? I haven't seen you in years!" He reached out to hug her, but Hannah didn't move.

Saraya arrived at the only logical conclusion before anyone said anything, but she quietly allowed things to play out.

"Colby, please don't be mad... I can explain," Hannah said again.

"Explain _what?"_ He asked.

"I didn't know until after you were gone, and I didn't want to stand in your way... You were living your dream... How did you figure it out?"

"Figure _what_ out?" Kristy asked. "Mom, you _know_ him?"

 _Oh, she_ knows him, _alright,_ Saraya thought.

"I... You don't know?" Hannah realized.

 _This is gonna be good,_ Saraya thought. She kind of wished she had some popcorn.

"Mom, just _tell_ us," Kristy said.

"I... Baby, he's... Colby and I are old friends. We went to high school together... And we've run into each other a few times since. Including nineteen years ago."

 _Say it,_ Saraya thought, enjoying the show. _We've all been joking about it for months now... Prove us right!_

"Mom...?" Kristy let the question trail off.

"He's... Kristy, Colby's your father."

"He's... _what_?" Kristy asked.

"I'm... _what_?" Colby asked at the same exact time.

"I _knew_ it!" Molly cried out.

"You owe me fifty bucks, Joe," Dean said.

"She's your daughter, Colby," Hannah said. "I'm sorry I never told you... I knew you were living your dream, and I didn't want to mess that up for you."

Colby stared at Hannah. "Mess up my dream? Are you kidding? She's great! She's the coolest kid I've ever met," he said.

"Seth Rollins is my father..." Kristy said. "Why didn't you _tell_ me? I mean, I'm only his biggest fan _ever..."_

"I'm sorry, Baby... Are you okay?" Hannah asked.

"Are you kidding? This is _awesome!"_ She looked at Colby and added, "Are _you_ okay?"

"I have spent a lot of time with you lately... I've been honored to be your mentor, and now I'm honored to be your father... Unexpected as it may be," Colby replied.

"Dude, how did you _not_ know?" Dean asked. "She's you in female form _._ She's your Molly."

"Wait a second," Saraya said suddenly. She looked at Molly, Riley, and Kristy and said, "We've got the Shield here! An all-female, brand new Shield!" She was suddenly excited. "I can't wait until Riley and Kristy are ready for the big leagues and we can actually put you three together!"

Colby looked surprised by her words, but soon, he smiled. Dean and Joe were smiling, too. "The Shield Offspring, together in WWE," Dean said. "The world isn't ready for that much awesome."

Hannah looked uncomfortable. Colby turned to her and smiled. "I think you and I need to catch up," he said. "Let's get dinner later, after the show."

Hannah nodded. "That sounds like a plan," she said.

Saraya laughed to herself. She apparently had a talent for finding hidden Legacies. As she looked at her NXT Kids, she knew the future of WWE was going to be interesting, and she was thrilled to be part of that. Finally, everything felt right again.

 _ **RANDY**_

His therapy had ended two months earlier. Three weeks ago, he had finally gone back to work. That was when he'd told Paul he had made a decision about where he wanted things to go. Paul hadn't argued. He understood what Randy needed to do.

Now, he stood in Gorilla with his sons and his wife. Nicky hadn't been seen at any shows since his suicide attempt, but now, he stood wearing a referee uniform. He was the surprise special guest referee. He also wore the arm guards Lucas and Molly had designed for him to make sure his scars remained covered while he still managed to look cool. Nicky looked nervous.

"Are you okay?" Randy asked. "You don't have to do this if you aren't ready. Gabe can be the guest referee."

"No, I..." Nicky took a deep breath. "I can do this. I'm ready. Today, I'll play referee, and tomorrow, I start wrestling again."

"I'm proud of you, Nicky," he told him.

"Dad, I... Mom..." Nicky paused. "I'm dating Lucas," he blurted out.

Corri laughed. "Oh, Baby, we figured that out _months_ ago," she said.

"You _knew?"_ Nicky asked.

"We'd have to be blind not to," Keith said.

"What I can't understand is why you didn't tell us," Corri said.

"I... I wasn't sure if you'd be okay with it," Nicky said.

"Nicky, my twin sister is married to a woman. Why on Earth would I have a problem with you falling for Lucas? He's a great guy."

"I'm an Orton... Ortons aren't supposed to be gay. We have an image-"

Randy was stunned. "Nicky... I don't care _who_ you love, as long as they're good to you and make you happy," he said.

"Really?"

"Of course. You're my _son._ I love you, and I always will, no matter what. Besides, there is absolutely _nothing_ wrong with being gay. And anyone who tells you anything different deserves an RKO."

Nicky looked relieved. Randy patted him on the shoulder and said, "Don't ever be afraid to talk to us, Nicky. We're here for you."

 _Voices_ started to play. Randy took a deep breath. "Are you ready?" Corri asked.

"I am," he said, although a small part of him wasn't sure. He knew he was making the right decision, but that didn't mean it was easy.

He walked out with Corri by his side. The fans cheered wildly, ready for a match they'd been waiting for since Keith's debut. Randy went up on the top rope, posing as he always did, with Corri right beside him.

 _Burn in my Light_ began to play. Keith marched out arrogantly, fully in character. For the last couple of weeks, he'd been building this storyline, cutting promos about how New Legacy was undefeatable and could beat any so-called Legend out there. Randy had shown up as a surprise, delighting the fans, and demanded Keith prove himself by taking _him_ on. He'd then offered the stipulation that made this match so important... If Keith beat Randy, Randy had to retire.

Finally, Brandi announced the special guest referee. The fans went insane as Nicky ran out. People had hoped this would be the news, but no one had expected it to happen. The fans had missed Nicky, and no one was sure if he was coming back. For several moments, the arena cheered for Nicky's unexpected return. Randy saw the shock on Nicky's face as they chanted, "Welcome back" over and over. He thought Nicky might break down and cry, but he kept it together. After acknowledging the fans with appreciation, he called for the bell.

Randy had wrestled Keith a lot over the years, both to train him and just for fun. Now there was a crowd watching, but they easily fell into their familiar routine. They were a good match for each other. Every time Randy hit a move, Keith reversed it or kicked out. Every time Keith knocked him down, he got back up. Keith hit him with a punt. Randy RKO'd him, but he kicked out at two. Randy clotheslined him. Keith hit a diving crossbody. Keith suplexed him onto the barricade. Randy hit a swinging neckbreaker. Keith powerslammed him on the mat. Randy hit a punt kick, because he wasn't going to let Keith be the only one to hit a punt in this match. Keith barely kicked out at two. He then hit Randy with a clothesline, followed by an RKO when Randy got back up. Randy nearly lost, but kicked out just in time. Nicky argued with Keith that it had only been a two count. Keith RKO'd Nicky and the fans began shouting more, stunned by this. Nicky got back up quickly and returned the favor, RKOing Keith. Corri jumped into the ring and broke them up. The match continued. Keith tried for a hurricanrana, but Randy jumped impressively high into the air and hit an absolutely beautiful RKO. Somehow, Keith kicked out just in time. Every fan was on the edge of their seats. They knew it was time to end it. Keith went up on the ropes again, and everyone expected another hurricanrana. Instead, Keith shifted and hit an RKO. Randy hit the mat. Nicky counted...

His hand slammed down once. _Randy remembered being a little boy and watching his family wrestle. He knew he wanted to grow up to be a wrestler, too. It was in his blood. It was what he lived for._

Nicky slammed his hand down again. _He'd met Corri after smashing into her in the hallway. As soon as she'd said, "Maybe next time, you can RKO me," part of him knew she was the one, no matter how much he tried to fight it. That meeting had changed his life. Flashes of their earliest days together raced through his head. The good, the bad, the unbearable... And then he saw her at Cayla and Saraya's wedding, and winning the title, and eloping with him after secretly flying in his mother and Alanna... He saw her pregnant and happy, first with Keith, then with Nicky... He saw his boys growing up on the road, and his heart swelled with pride... All of this flashed by in seconds._

Nicky's hand hit the mat a final time. The bell rang. The fans cheered. The entire arena began chanting. "Thank you, Randy" as he stood back up. Corri pulled him into a hug. She was crying.

"I'm so proud of you," she whispered in his ear.

"I love you," he told her.

Nicky hugged him. Finally, Keith came over to them, done with his celebration. He extended his hand to Randy, who shook it before pulling him into a tight hug.

When he broke the hug, Corri handed him a microphone. "Today, you proved yourself worthy, Son. You _both_ did." He took a deep breath. It wasn't common for Randy to be overcome with emotions, but as the WWE Universe chanted his name and begged for one more match, he felt tears in his eyes.

"I want to thank all of you fans for everything. You are the reason we do this.I am honored to have been a part of this world for so long... But it's _their_ turn now." He hugged his sons again before _Voices_ began to play. He gave the fans a few more signature poses before he walked out of the ring with his family by his side.

 _ **DEAN**_

The road here hadn't been easy. It had started with him getting shot, which should have been an indication that things were going to be difficult, but that was the story of his life. He'd fought for everything he had, and he fought now for this.

He'd defended his title several times. None mattered as much as his match tonight. At first, he'd been told it couldn't be done. There were rules in place, and they were there for a reason. Dean, however, had made it very clear that the only way he was going to give up his title would be if it was done on his terms.

Now he stood in Gorilla waiting. As his music began, he hurried out to the ring. The crowd cheered and he smiled. He had a surprise opponent tonight. He'd issued an open challenge. No one knew who he was facing except for the people on the inside. The fans waited eagerly for his challenge to be answered.

Suddenly, his opponent's music began to play. The crowd went dead silent for a moment before erupting into wild cheers. Could this really be happening? Was it possible?

Molly stepped into the ring. She was dressed to wrestle. She smiled at him and he nodded. This was going to be one hell of a match.

It hadn't been easy to get Paul to agree to this. _"Dean, the women can't fight the men," he insisted. "It's too dangerous."_

" _Molly can handle it," Dean pointed out. "She wrestles guys all the time. She did it at CZW and at other indies, and she grew up trained by men. Insisting she can only fight the women is holding her back, and she's not happy, Paul… And if my Offspring isn't happy,_ I'm _not happy."_

" _It's a problem. How will she defend it?"_

" _She can handle any guy you put in front of her… Come on, Paul. You're the one who said it was time for things to change._ This _is a change. We need to get back to how things were in the Attitude Era. Fuck this PG bullshit. Women who are trained properly are just as good as the men, and there's no reason they shouldn't have a shot at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship."_

" _It's just not_ done, _Dean!"_

" _Well, it's time to change that. Come on, it's been done before. Molly's not a Nikki or a Brie… She's a Lita, a Trish, a Chyna, a Beth Phoenix… She's too good to be restricted to just the women. So, either you let us do this, or she walks. And so do I. And I'm not giving up the title to anyone else."_

Ultimately, Paul had realized he was right. He allowed the match, and that was how Dean found himself in the ring with his daughter now.

The match started off quickly. Molly ran at him and hit him with a spinning side slam, a move he'd done in CZW that she'd adopted long ago. They called it Moxicity. He responded with a tornado DDT. Molly kicked out and began punching him wildly in the lunatic brawling style they were both known for. He went for a front missile dropkick next, but she dodged it. She went for a snap elbow drop, but he escaped the blow. They managed to dodge each other's blows for a couple of minutes straight before Molly went up on the top rope and hit Air Lunatic. She nearly pinned him for the three count, but he kicked out. Molly laughed like a maniac and regrouped. She then hit a running crossbody, followed by multiple punches. He tossed her off of him and got himself to the corner, pulling himself up to his feet. Molly immediately went for Dirty Deeds. She hit it perfectly, and Dean stayed down for a couple of moments, but as the referee was about to hit three, he kicked out hard, pushing the referee out of his way. Now _he_ was laughing like a lunatic. He did a double leg takedown on Molly, then followed it up with punches like always. He knew Paul was cringing about the level of violence, but he knew Molly would have no issue handling it, and he wasn't hitting her in any way that would actually hurt her. He would _never_ hurt his Offspring. He went for a pin as Molly stopped struggling, but she kicked out and rushed to the ropes. She went up and hit another Air Lunatic. This time, Dean hit the mat hard. He barely kicked out on time, and Molly let out a frustrated sound for the sake of the crowd. Then she went back up on the ropes. When Dean finally stood up, Molly hit a hurricanrana and took him back down. She pinned him, and the referee began to count. This time, Dean did not kick out.

Molly's music played and the fans were stunned, but they were also excited. They began cheering. Molly paused and instead of taking the title from the referee, she extended her hand to Dean and helped him stand up. Dean took the title from the referee and draped it over Molly's shoulders as she was announced the new champion. He had never felt so much pride in his life, but seeing Molly standing there, the first female WWE World Heavyweight Champion ever, he was overwhelmed with emotion. He hugged her tight and didn't let go for a minute. When Keith came out, followed by the rest of New Legacy, Dean let them have their moment. Keith and Molly cut a brief promo proclaiming themselves the future of WWE. Dean smiled because he knew it was true.

At the end of their promo, Dean took the microphone. "I'm proud of you," he said. Then he added, "And I expect my rematch soon." The fans cheered as they left the ring together.

Once backstage, Molly kissed Keith before hugging Dean again. "Thank you, Sire," she said. "I would never have had this opportunity if you hadn't fought for me… And I won't let you down."

"You could _never_ let me down, Offspring," he said. "I love you."

Dean looked around at his family and knew that, in this moment, everything was exactly as it should be.

 _ **CORRI**_

Everyone had gathered around in a local restaurant. No one was too keen on a WWE-sponsored party after what had happened the last time, but they'd all wanted to celebrate this pay-per-view that had been designed to start a new era of the company.

She looked at her husband and Keith and smiled. Randy may have wrestled his last official match, but she knew he'd taken a Legends contract. He'd still appear in other roles. He would probably show up and randomly RKO people who deserved it, and he'd cut promos every once in a while, but he was going to be spending most of his time at home with her. She definitely didn't mind that idea.

She spotted Nicky with Lucas, now openly holding hands. She walked over to them. "Hi, Lucas," she said. "I heard you two finally decided to be honest with everyone."

"We would have told you sooner, but… Nicky was nervous," Lucas admitted.

"It's okay… Just treat my son right, Lucas."

"You know I will."

"I do. And I'm happy you two have each other. There's nothing more important in this world than finding the person who has the right amount of glue to put you back together."

Looking around, Corri realized everyone seemed to have found their glue people. Trixie laughed shyly as Danny whispered something to her. Keith held Molly in his arms as she admired her new title. They were WWE's new power couple now, filling the role that had once belonged to her and Randy. She was incredibly proud of them.

Cayla looked so relaxed as Saraya stole a quick kiss, it made Corri smile. She was relieved to see her sister looking happy again.

Finally, Corri walked over to Randy. "So, Sexy, how does it feel knowing you wrestled your last WWE match tonight?" She asked.

"It feels right," Randy said, pulling her into his arms. "It was time."

"You'll always be my sexy viper, you know. And you can still feel free to RKO me anytime you feel the urge."

Randy laughed. "I love you, Corri Casey," he told her.

"I need even stronger words than that, Sexy," she informed him. She kissed him and felt him relax against her.

It was hard to imagine what a mess she'd once been. Somehow, in spite of every messed up thing she'd done to him, Randy still loved her, and they'd found their way back together. Two decades ago, Corri never would have pictured herself living this life, but now that she was here, she couldn't imagine it any other way. It seemed impossible, but finally, they were genuinely happy. She kissed her husband again, thrilled to realize that life on the road would no longer separate them. He was home, and he was hers for the rest of their lives. There was no better thought in this world.

 **THE END.**

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ _Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed this fic. I cannot express enough how much your feedback and support has meant to me. I'd especially like to thank my muse, LadyDeathWing, as always, for your patience, support, and extremely thorough reviews. You never fail to inspire me. I'd also like to thank Mkfreeze27, whose frequent reviews and messages made me smile and gave me a reason to keep writing until this fic was finished._

 _This fic was supposed to be the end of the story, but I fell in love with the kids… I decided I needed to tell one more story, making this a trilogy. The next fic will be called Legacy in the Night and will be coming soon! I will post a final note in this fic when the first chapter of that fic has been uploaded so you know to look for it. Legacy in the Night will focus more on the next generation. It will be the story of New Legacy, set a few years from the time of this fic, and will include the points of view of the members of the stable, including Molly, Keith, Nicky, and Trixie, and also Danny, Lucas, Gabe, Ginny, Kristy, Riley, the Punk/Lee twins, Molly's brother Dillon, Faye, and a couple of others! It will not include the points of view of Corri, Cayla, Saraya, Randy, or Dean, but they will all be featured in the fic. (Dean, at the very least, will be heavily featured because he'll still be wrestling. Corri and Saraya will also play important roles, as they are still very involved in the company.) If you like the idea of seeing the All-Female Shield made up of their children, read the next fic! (I know I'm very excited about that.)_

 _Thank you all again, and I look forward to writing the final story soon! I hope you enjoyed reading this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it._


	40. Sequel Note

**SEQUEL NOTE:** The first chapter of the final fic in this trilogy has been posted! Look for it under _Legacy in the Night._ Below is a list of all the members of New Legacy for that fic, just to give you an idea of what's to come! (And don't worry, Saraya, Corri, Cayla, Randy, Dean, Colby, Joe, and several others will all be back in this fic, they just won't have direct points of view!)

 _NEW LEGACY HEELS:_

 _Keith Phoenix Orton: The leader, and the son of Randy Orton and Corri Casey. Ring Name: Phoenix Orton_

 _Molly Moxley (yes, that's her legal last name): The daughter of Dean Ambrose and the leader of the New Shield. Ring Name: Molly Moxley_

 _Graciella "Riley" Archer: The daughter of Roman Reigns, part of the New Shield. Ring Name: Riley Reigns_

 _Kristy Ellis: The daughter of Seth Rollins, part of the New Shield: Ring Name: Sara Rollins_

 _Virgina "Ginny" Runnels: The daughter of Cody Rhodes and Eden Styles. Ring Name: Persephone Rhodes_

 _Marco Wilson: The son of Natalya and Tyson Kidd. Ring Name: Marshall Hart_

 _NEW LEGACY BABYFACES:_

 _Nicholas Matthew "Nicky" Orton: The leader, and the son of Randy Orton and Corri Casey. Ring Name: Nick Orton_

 _Trixie Jade Bevis-Casey: The daughter of Cayla Casey and Paige, biological daughter of Cayla and Darren Young. Ring Name: Trickster_

 _Daniel "Danny" Martin Huber: The son of Summer Rae and (unadvertised) Luke Harper. Ring Name: Ray Turner_

 _Lucas Rotunda: The son of Bo Dallas and Emma. Ring Name: Dale Dallas_

 _Gabriel "Gabe" Fatu: The son of Jimmy Uso and Naomi. Ring Name: Greg Uso_

 _Faye Runnels: The daughter of Cody Rhodes and Eden Styles. Ring Name: Fairy Dust_

 _NEW LEGACY NEUTRAL:_

 _Scott Sirius "Scotty" Brooks: The son of CM Punk and AJ Lee. Ring Name: Punk Lee_

 _Tobias James "Toby" Brooks: The son of CM Punk and AJ Lee. Ring Name: TJ Lee_

 _Mark "Dillon" Calaway: The son of the Undertaker. Ring Name: The Reaper_


End file.
